Integration
by shadowtheo
Summary: At 5 Harry was accused of the Dursleys murder, now after 10 years in Azkaban he is being released to be intergrated into society, Snape, Dumbledore, kitty! distressed! Harry, lotsa bonding and more notices inside.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN good Snape, good Dumbledore, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), idiotic fudge, suggestions of child abuse

Integration 1: retrieving Harry

'Ten years' thought Severus Snape as he and Dumbledore the head of Hogwarts made their way towards the ominous prison across the inky sea.

'Ten years, and only now have those imbeciles realized that a 5 year old, muggle-raised child, without a wand, in a heavily warded area, could not possibly have had the magical energy to kill two adults, and their child, without being in the same room as them, AND blow up half the house!... Honestly!' Severus sighed in exasperation as the enchanted craft carried the two wizards into the harbor of Azkaban prison.

Mercifully, for the half hour operation inspirationally named 'Get that child out of that god-awful place' the dementors had moved to the upper levels of the prison, leaving the path to Harry Potter's cell clear. As Dumbledore led Severus towards the wrought iron gates of the prison, Severus noted with distain that the entrance way was lined with ministry personnel, including the Minister for magic himself, Cornelius Fudge.

"What nerve! The bumbling idiot has no reason to be here! He's the one that convicted the poor child without a second thought! Let me get my hands on him-!"

"Severus!" the potions master instantly hushed his dark muttering and glared at the Headmaster.

"But its true!" Severus nearly cursed himself for giving such a child-like argument. "I mean, he's only here to give the impression that he cares! He has more reason to be in there then half of the prisoners I'll bet."

"Yes all this is most likely true, however, we must overlook his presence, it is not our primary concern after all." Severus took the time to glance at the headmaster, this time taking in his appearance. The calm face was underlined by a determined, serious expression, his eyes glinted steely with satisfaction, but also urgency. In fact, now that he was noticing, Severus detected the powerful magic of the man gently leaking into the depths of Azkaban, either to send comfort to an undoubtedly scared and lonely lost child, or to assess the health of said child, and determine how many of the immediate healing items would be necessary before they were far enough outside of the prison to apparate to the Hogwarts infirmary. Or a mixture of both, as Severus expected.

Severus also felt the need to reach in and feel the child, but his magic was connected to the boy in a different way, and could only be accessed in the trance-like state of meditation. As they neared the gates, Severus thought back to the long ten-year fight for Harry's freedom that started on the stormy night of the 7th of July.

_Ten years ago, aurors had apparated to number four Privit Drive, Little Winging, Surry, to find a scene of total devastation, only to eerily similar to one seen in Godrics Hollow almost 4 years earlier. The house was a wreckage, some walls still partially intact, clinging to the support beams as if for dear life-in death, debris having been blown into the neighbor's gardens, shattering any resemblance of normalcy for one side of the street, whereas the other was left in a surreally unaffected and pristine state._

_The aurors and rescue workers were soon joined at the scene by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and of course myself. We all scoured the wreckage, fearful of the worst...well actually, I cannot say that I myself was as concerned at the time, but that would soon change. Whilst the rescue workers, and other professors quickly found the lifeless bodies of the three Dursleys, I moved deeper into the house's depths. I was generally unaffected, my still relatively raw time as a death eater had shown me worse, and I my less-then-love for the potter family in general was no great secret, no matter what wrong I had done them, it could not now be undone._

_I maneuvered myself to beneath the wreckage of a staircase, some of the upper floor still remaining as well as a small cupboard under the stairs, I was not surprised, smaller spaces generally did better in explosions, less weak points or something. I was about to think no further of it and move on, when I heard the smallest of breaths emitting from the cupboard. Leaning in closer, I could definitely hear shallow, labored breaths. Now, I was interested. Quickly I shouted some remark about a survivor to the far away team, and wrenched open the cupboard door._

_I was met with the site of a blatantly 'Potter' child, and sneered even though the child's state was less then healthy, bruised and seemingly beaten. My animosity remained firm until the 5-year old Harry opened his eyes. Those almost glowing, electric green eyes focused directly onto mine, they separated this child from his father dramatically, and even his mother had no such eyes. Although maybe time had simply dimmed my memory of them._

_He coughed weakly, no doubt from the thick dust, and spoke in an unfocused voice, "You don't live here..." "No, I don't...", I replied with the same amount of confusion. I was confident at least that it was my job to get the child out, as the rescue team seemed to be having some unforeseen difficulties in the form of a questioning minister. Reaching in my hand brushed against the child's forehead in an attempt to reach both his arms._

_The feeling of raw magic surged through my fingertips as I touched the fabled lightning shaped scar, the energy sending a keen into my own magic in a desperate reaction. There was no pain, only a feeling of acute confusion, and a need for help emitting from his subconscious. The feeling subsided and yet my hand remained in it's initial position, to my great surprise however, the child's head moved closer into my palm, one of his own small hands gently pressing onto mine as he muttered "your hand's cold..." Coming back to my senses, I gently removed the child from the enclosed space and held his frail and unconscious body close. I knew nothing else to do, and truthfully, the child's open acceptance, and need of my own hand had touched me like his magic could not, never before had I felt so accepted and needed...it was probably as comforting to me as it was to the child._

_Even after I had left the Death Eaters, there was no one, bar Albus, who would willingly give me physical contact, others preferred words, not that I blame them._

_Soon however, the child was all but ripped from me by an Auror, no doubt following the Minister's orders and apparated away. I emerged to see an enraged Albus and a flustering Fudge, sprouting off statements about 'all the evidence', 'same as his last residence' and 'patterns Dumbledore, patterns'._

_I did not need to here anymore to know that the child was likely on his way to Azkaban, and that I along with Albus and most of Hogwarts would be fighting for his release, me especially. The chance of protecting something that had healed a fraction of my distorted soul was not one to be missed._

_It was a long and tiresome battle of ten years until the Ministry captured the responsible rogue Death Eaters. It seems that they had wanted to gain revenge for their fallen leader, but on arrival, and breach of the wards they found that they could not locate the child, though they knew him to be in the house. Realizing that their time was nearly up, blew up the house in the hopes that Harry would be killed along with his relatives, and fled the scene. The blood protection had saved Harry, but now he was being endlessly tortured in Azkaban. Indeed the only thing that saved Harry from the torture was one of the Death Eater's confessing under torture for some other crime, up until then the Ministry at large had been unwilling to see the hard evidence of his innocence. And only after the confession did Fudge blame the interrogation squad and sack half of their staff._

Now finally, Harry was going to get his freedom. Snape had been feeling Harry's magic through his own during meditation for two years now. Largely as a result of the child's hugely increased magic, and the connection that had formed between the two magical signatures from their first encounter. During these moments of synchronization, the potions master was able to feel the edge of Harry's thoughts, scattered and delirious as they often were. In the few times that he had had a chance to meditate and the boy's prison level has been dementor-free, he had learnt more of Harry. This comprised of useless, vague information most of the time, the fact that he likes chocolate ice cream, that he feels tired. But occasionally important facts seeped through the muddled thoughts, that the child has been subject to some of the experiments that the dementors ecstatically perform on their charges, that he found an ancient book in the closet that allowed him to become an animagus when he opened it and was hit with a surge of magic. This was probably the only reason that he had survived the ten years of imprisonment at such a young age. Snape informed Albus whenever he discovered anything, no matter how irrelevant, even of the wisps of personality that made it through the connection.

Over the two years, Severus had noticed a drop in Harry's coherence, the thoughts becoming more vague and confused. Sometimes they were even entirely foreign, as if he was speaking in another language, like that of his animagus form, of which he was unaware of the specific creature that Harry assumes. Severus could not detect anything of his health, in fact he probably only received the thoughts because of his accomplished legilimens skills. Otherwise Snape would most likely only notice the ebb and flow of the child's magic, which was unusually strong.

These are the reasons that had caused Snape to disassociate 'Harry' from 'Potter'. Harry had literally touched his soul that day, and he felt certain that he knew at least part of the child's mind. Therefore after finally being proved innocent, Albus, and upon his insistence, the rest of Hogwarts long-standing professors were allowed custody of the child, and the role of integrating him back into society, so that he could attend Hogwarts as he was supposed to 4 years ago.

The fight over custody was fairly simple, though they were more guardians then parents, allowing the teachers to look after and watch over Harry's development, it meant that the child could be supervised on a near constant level if necessary. And after all, there was no one else who could perform the task so effectively. They were however, supposed to hand the child over if he appeared too unstable for society. Snape knew that he wasn't that far-gone yet, and would do anything in his power to ensure that he never was.

So there the two professors were, venturing deeper into Azkaban after indifferently and blatantly ignoring the greetings of Fudge-the-imbecile, past the cells of delirious inmates, and husks that have lost their soul.

Finally, in the very heart of Azkaban, they found his cell, it was so darkened that they could not see him, and both light their wands.

"Oh, my" Dumbledore exclaimed as the wand light illuminated the cold cell, and they rushed inside. There, curled into a corner of the cell was an unnaturally small, unnaturally thin soon-to-be fifteen year old, with matted thigh length jet black hair, complete with black cat ears, and a long black, barely twitching cat tail.

Snape had finally found him, and at the risk of sounding like Poppy, wouldn't have changed him for the world.

Please let me know ya thoughts, shadowtheo


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN: good Snape, good Dumbledor, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), idiotic fudge, suggestions of child abuse

Intergration:2 Action.

As soon as he reached him, Dumbledore quickly scooped Harry into his arms with little or no effort.

"He's deathly cold. Quick Severus! the hot chocolate!" At any other time the stoic potions master would have sneered or laughed at this command, hot chocolate seeming such a docile drink in this place. However, much like chocolate, its effects concerning dementor victims were astounding, and it's generally easier to drink then eat if one is in such a state as Harry was.

As Severus appraoched Harry and Dumbledore, his heart started racing, and he hesitated about two feet from them. 'This is foolish, I have no reason to get nervous, he's asleep! And besides, I've known him partially for about two years now, get a grip Severus!' With that he purposfully strode forward to join the pair, pulling out the abnormally chocolaty drink from his pack as he went.

Bending down Severus ould see just how pale, thin and overly broken the child looked, handing Dumbledore the flask he waved his wand over Harry, assesing the general damage. Other then the obvious signs of malnourishment, dehydration, aneamia and extremely low body temperature, the boy's magic was spent and he had several broken bones. The two broken bones, wrist and leg were probably from the violent fits that can happen in particularly intense dementor attacks. The, of course there were his less human appendages, Severus had several theories abput this, the most likely being an accident from becoming an animagus at such a young age, that the change back was too long after an unsteady first transformation and was never completed. 'The boy's probably had them for years.' He thought.

Having relayed his findings and thoughts to Dumbledore quickly, he begun the task of getting Harry to drink the hot chocolate.

"This is useless Albus!" Sverus exclaimed angrily as most of the drink dripped down the boy's chin.

"Patience Severus, he's trying, I can feel him noticing us with what little magic he has left in him." Snape spared a glance at the old man to see his eyes closed in concentration and his magic softley pulsing into the boy, coaxing him to wake up. "He seems to feel the lack of dementors, but his magic has become thicker, more dense, it's hard for him to focus it enough to be brought back." The headmaster said this with assurance, and Severus found himself with a sudden thought.

" It worked before..." he muttered to himself, Dumbledore now paying attention to him too and not solely Harry.

"What is your plan?" his words went seemingly unheard however as Severus put down the drink and moved closer to the child's head.

Reaching out his hand, Severus focused the magic that he felt from his bond with the child into his fingertips, and placed his hand across the lightning scar on the boy's forehead. "Come on Harry, show me your eyes." Severus quietly asked the unmoving figure.

Slowly, the feline ears twitched forward slightly from their limp postion lying against his head, and two, slightly shining green eyes blinked open, focasing directly in on Severus' own obsidion orbs. "There you are" Severus muttered, gently rising Harry's head to give him more drink. Whilst Albus looked on Harry slowly took a few sips of the warm liquid being poured into his mouth as his eyes begun to unfocus. "No! Harry come on stay with me!" Severus exclaimed noticing the lack of attention he was recieving, he frantically begun dosing Harry with more potions as Albus poured more of his magic into the falling boy.

Severus kept up this asult until halfway through the second pepper-up potion Harry begun coughing whilst shaking uncontrollably. Dumbledore held the trembling boy closer and rbbed his back to still the coughing, whilst urgently communicating with Severus. "We need to get him to Poppy now! Severus, you take him, that way I can hold off the Minister from his questions." There was no room for question in the headmaster's eyes, so Severus merely nodded and carefully took the shaking form into his own. Harry's eyes half opened again to look at him, full of questions and a sort of primal fear, his tail swished as Severus stood up, and he made sure to hold it above the floor so that it wouldn't be stepped on.

As predicted, as soon asthey were in sight of the door, Fudge started to wave them over as reporters camerers flashed menacingly. Dumbledore headed straight toward the crowd, they seemed only too happy to swarm around him, leaving the path clear for Severus.

He noticed the lack of fog that had been present on their way to the prison just as he stepped outside. Harry also seemed to notice this change, as with a wimper he closed his eyes and scrunched up in Severus' arms. Noticing Harry's discomfort, ears being now flat back against his head, the sudden movement seemed to have alerted the child to his internal injuries as he hissed out in pain, panting to force air into his bruised lungs. Severus was now slightly paniked, and all but sprinted towards the small boat that had transported them here.

Leaping into the boat that seemed to aggravatingly not notice the urgency of the situation, Severus held Harry close as his alredy shallow breathing turned irratic, his eyes sliding unfocasedly over his surroundings with a glased look. "Hang on child, just a bit longer, calm down now you're out of there." Severus found himself desperately trying to soothe the disstresed, paniking Harry as he begun to squirm. As a wave rocked the boat Severus found he had to hold even tighter on to the child as he started trashing and trying to escape. As his writhing allowed him to twist around enough to see the water over the side of the boat he actually let out a chocked, raw scream, and Severus realised just how hard this feat they were trying to pull off would be, and just how little he knew of _helping _children.

'Its hopeless, what did I think i could achieve, my only knowledge of children is how to make them cry!' Just as he thought this however, the thin body curled up just like a cat within his arms, clinging onto him with his one good arm and nestling in as if for protection from the world, shivering against him. Severus felt his spirits slightly lifted as he wrapped his arms tighter around Harry in a protective gesture. 'As long as this child will willingly touch me I'm not going to give up on him.' He promised himself.

Soon they were outside the wards of Azkaban, and Severus apparated the pair to Hogwarts, tightly holding Harry whilst being mindful of his injuries. Severus hardly felt sprinting up to the castle and then the hospital wing, Pomfrey already had all her supplies ready as she had been breifed previously, and set to work as soon as Harry had been lain on the bed.

Only then did Severs relax and colapse onto a bed, knowing that for now all was in the medi-witches hands.

In a couple of hours Dumbledore rejoined them, having finished answering the endless questions with his vague, riddle-like answers. The two then settled down to wait until Poppy's work had been done, then retiring when Harry was as stable as could be hoped. Severus remained awake to create some potions that he believed Harry would be in need of. Poppy stayed alert to keep Harry as well as could be helped throughout the night and Dumbledore sat alone in his office, pondering things that would drive any normal man insane.

:Thanks a lot for the reviews (and advice)-more soon hopefully:

:Please let me know ya thoughts, Shadowtheo:


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN: good Snape, good Dumbledor, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), idiotic fudge, suggestions of child abuse

Intergration:3 Communication problems.

Severus glared at the figure on the bed, it had been 3 days and the boy had still not woken up, which was an annoyance for Severus. No matter how much he tried to meditate, he could not reach his link with the child. This meant that he had no idea what would happen when the child finnally awakened, and Severus _hated_ being unprepared.

The other problem was that Severus had gotten over his initial relief at having the child and was now thinking too much, Severus also hated brooding for too long, it allowed him to see flaws and worry unnecesarily. Ant that, was exactly what was happening now.

"How on Earth are we going to be able to treat him normally with those... _things_ on his head? Its not ging to _work_ Albus!" The usually calm potions master ranted.

"Awwww! But think that they're cute!" Cooed Madam Pomfrey in a girlish way.

Severus looked at her like she was demented. "_Cute_ they may be but innapropriate also, they aren't _normal_!" At the appaled face of Poppy, who couldn't seem to believe that anything 'cute' could be deemed innapropriate Severus added, "If the damn things mean that much to you, once I cut them off you can frame them!"

"_Gasp!_ Severus how could you!"

"Easily imbecile!"

"Now, now, let us all calm down, no one is going to cut Harry's ears off Poppy, or his tail for that matter. We will devise a painless way of solving the issue if Harry wants to, after all, there is a reason for this, there must also be an answer. And besides Severus, even you cannot deny that they add a certain charm..."

"I cannot believe this!" Severus started when they heard a faint noise coming from the hospital bed.

"Nnnnuhhh..." They watched as Harry turned away from the bright light above his bed and put his hands over his eyes, curling up as much as his injuries allowed.

Albus quickly dimmed the light with a wave of his wand. "Harry, can you hear us?" he questioned the small figure.

The ears twitched as Harry turned to the noise, emerald eyes dazedly looking towards the three adults seated before him.

Very fast, Harry pushed himself up the bed into the headboard whilst frantically looking around him, murmuring incoherent noises. Before any of the three could react, Harry suddenly bolted upright, and made a bid for freedom towards the window opposite the bed. The escape plan was however halted as Harry's only recently healed leg gave out under him. As he thumped down onto the floor, Harry yelped and scrunched himself up, sholders shaking a little.

"Oh dear!" Poppy ran forwards towards he fallen patient, but as she reached out and touched his back, the shockingly green eyes shot open and then shut violently as a wave of bright green magic shot out from him, knocking over the medi-witch as the room started shaking. Sensing that now was the time for action, Severus stood and emitted several loud bangs from his wand, much as the headmaster would sometimes have to do to calm students at feasts.

The effect was instantainious, the light stopped shining and the room stopped shaking as Harry's eyes opened shocked, and he stared wide-eyed and fearful up at Severus. No one moved for a few minutes, the scene was froze with Snape's wand up, Harry sitting shocked in the middle of the floor, cat ears upright and tail stiffly still, Pomfrey leaning, just as shocked but hardly hurt, against the wall, and Dumbledore looking calm and calculating, the only one still on a chair.

"Severus, go and get Minerva please, quickly" Albus said calmly whilst gazing at the cat-child on the floor. Severus knew better then to try and communicate with the elder man whenhe was in this mood and left silently, trying to fathom what was behind the determined twinkle in those very-blue eyes.

Severus returned with McGonagle shortly, Harry was now gazing hazily at dumbledore, no longer looking scared, but not relaxed either. Poppy was off the floor, and looked torn between following Dumbledore's lead at not moving, and getting her patient back into bed. Harry was still slightly shaking, and far too pale and thin.

"Albus, yesterday you told me that I couldn't see the boy and now..." She came to a halt as she got her first clear glance at Harry, eyes fixated on the swishing, ebony tail. "Albus, what...?"

"As you can see Minerva, Harry is somewhat, different from when we last saw him at five. Now it is my belief that due to his current appearence, Harry is in fact a feline animagus. I wish for you to see if you can communicate with him, as he seemed to react violently to human contact today. You however may have better luck."

The transfiguration teachers eyes had never left the child as the headmaster spoke, and as soon as he had finished she stepped slowly forward. Minerva's womanly instincts took over, though she rarely showed this, to her Harry truley seemed like a lost kitten.

As soon as he sensed movement, Harry swished around to face Minerva, looking drained but alert, faintly hissing.

McGonagle wasted no time in transforming into her animagus form, the brown tabby softly stared at the wide eyed boy. Severus could see that Albus had been right to sugest this, as immediately Harry transformed himself, a strange relief on his face, seemingly at the less intense form sitting before him.

Soon a small jet black cat was situated where Harry was, bright green eyes and all, also if one looked close enough, a faint silver streak indicated the lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

'Evidently cats communicate _very_ differently to humans' Severus thought as about ten minutues was spent with the two felins staring at each other fixatedly, almost as if in a contest, only the smallest twitching of whiskers, and fine shifts of the body were noted, although the tails flicked slightly on occasion, seemingly without the owners control.

However, after what seemed like no progress, the tabby trotted forward, snifing the rigid black cat's face. When no move was made beyond these inquiring movements, Harry also cautiously sniffed at Minerva. 'Cats _definately_ work differently from humans' Severus thought with astonishment as the usually stern transfiguration teacher begun to softly lick Harry's ears. What was even more astonishing then this however, was Harry's reaction. After a quick startled look, his eyes closed and he begun to admit a very faint purring, visibly his muscles relaxed, and he curled up contentedly in a ball, as the tabby tenderly continued to lick him as she curled her own body and tail around the still lightly shivering form.

Poppy and Severus looked amazed, whereas Dumbledore was looking like a doting Grandfather, eyes twinkling dementedly. Soon, Poppy also overcame her shock as she proclaimed "Awwwww, see I said that they were cute!" looking like she was about to burst.

Minerva reverted to her origianal form, a deep sleeping cat in her arms.

"Well done Minerva, did you learn anything?" At the headmasters comment, she held down her face, sholders twitching.

Poppy instantly dashed forward, "Minerva, its okay if you didn't find anything, or if its terrible, you can say dear." she comforted in a typical Pemfrey way.

"It's not that...he's, he's..." Everyone lent forward, even Dumbloedore, in eagerness. "...He's just too cute!" Severus all but fell off his chair as Dumbledore chuckled lighthearthedly.

"Well Minerva, I am glad to hear you say that, but, did you learn anything?" Albus proded gently, though still smiling as severus regained his composure, just about 'surrounded by idiots' were basically the lines of his thoughts.

"Yes, and no." when met with questioning looks, McGonagle elaborated. "I found out nothing of his thoughts really. Cats do not communicate the same as humans so to speak,"

"I knew it!" Snape quickly admonished himself at his own outburst as once again the group reverted their attention back to Minerva.

"Well, he seemed not to be able to communicate properly, I mean, I take it he has said nothing to you, and he seemed to follow my lead. When he did try to do something to communicate, it seemed stuttered, accidental or confused. Albus, I dont think that he can speak." The implications of this hit them all strongly, how would they get through to someone how couldnt talk back.

"Calm down everyone, it's not the end of it all." Surprisingly the words came from Poppy and not Albus. "I have seen cases of memory loss such as this, and with his removal from socieety at such a young age, what did you expect. With time and patienc, he will likely regain his powers of cummunication, and other aspects that he has been away from. Until then though, we should all assume that he is unable to perform or asses things as people his own age do, and we will likely be responsible for a lot of things for him. Also I suggest that we all talk as much as possible around or to him, until he is used to our pressence, physical contact should be kept to a minimum. However, I feel that it is most important to follow your instincts, as they are generally best in these situations."

Poppy finished, looking around to make sure that everyone had understood her fully, when she was met with understanding, she detatched Harry from McGonagle and positioned his back on the bed, carefully wrapping the covers around his feline body.

One after the other they went their sepeate ways, Snape contemplating how much he would need to do to regain Harry's speach to him. 'Its going to be one of those years.' He thought as he retreated down into his private chambers, aware of the others doing the same.

:Thanks a lot for the reviews -more soon hopefully: next time...a bath is needed... :

please let me know ya thoughts, Shadowtheo


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN good Snape, good Dumbledor, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), idiotic fudge, suggestions of child abuse

Intergration:4

"Sit _still_ you petulant child." Snape growled menacingly. Everything had been going fine, Severus had carried the limp body under dumbledore's orders to the hospital wing's bathroom for what was supposed to be a relaxing bath...that was until Harry had woken up.

Water splashed over the edge and onto the already soaked floor, apparanly the cat-child was afraid of water. The stiff, erect tail was fluffed out to the largest it could be whilst drenched in water. Ears flat back Harry hissed half fearcly, half fearingly, at the looming figure above him that was griping the shower head tightly.

"Just let me-" Severus leaned in whilst Harry shot further into the corner of the tub. Severus sighed in exasperation, whilst too weak to flee from the tub, the child could certainly resist the bath well enough.

It had of course been Poppy's sugestion to give him a bath, well more of an order really. It would relax the muscles and relieve tension, however it seemed to be doing the opposite in Severus' opinion. The child had slept for another two days afer the failed escape attempt, and it was fair to say that no one liked to smell Azkaban seeping through the cleaning charms in the hospital wing. The only reason that the Potions master had been picked for this menial task was that the water for the bath was medically treated with healing potions that Harry could technically have a bad reaction with. However, with the amount of the water Severus had managed to get on him since he woke up, there would be no chance of any such reaction.

After glaring at the room in general a few more times, Severus remembered somthing that he had learned from the half-giant Hagrid some time ago. 'I must be mad to go this far...' He thought whilst leaning away from Harry over the bath. sighing one last time, he raised the medicated water over his own head letting it trikle down, drenching his hair, all the while staring at the wide-eyed child. Gem green eyes narrowed slightly to give the potions master a curious stare.

After about a minute of having his head under the water, Severus slowly moved the showerhead away from him towards Harry, as soon as the child hesitated away, he moved the item at the same speed back to his own head, all the while retaining that unerving stare.

Whilst repeating the procedure, Severus casually noted that this was the longest time he had ever seen the child focused for.

After doing the same process several more times, as Severus moved the water towards Harry, the child finally acepted the water over his head, shivering only slightly as the water flowed through his filthly, matted hair. Severus could have almost smiled at the thought of a small victory, 'monkey see monkey do', however his face remained impasive as he picked up the medicated shampoo.

Remembering Poppy's warnings just in time, he hesitated before rubbing the blue gell into the child's hair. She had said that talking would make the child more aware of their presence and possibly more comfortable with it.

'Well this should be easy, I practically spend all of my time talking to dunderheaded children when they don't listen.' Severus thought sourly. 'now what to say?' the speach that usually graced him so easily was now abandoning him.

"Ugh!" water splashed over Severus, he glared at the culprit, a swinging and apparantly uncontrolled tail as the owner had glazed over eyes. 'Fine, be that way' Evidently he would have to think of something to talk about with the child...

Severus thought long and hard, one might have almost thought that he was a statue fountain, still pouring the medicated water over Harry. Finally however, the obsidian orbs opened, and speech begun.

"A beazore..." Harry started at the sound of the voice, turning vivid green eyes to the stoic and compossed potions master. Severus let out a smirk, he was feeling more confident now that the 'bath plan' fel into the list of what Severus Snape could do best: attempt to force potions knowledge into otherwise incompetent children.

"...Can be found in the stomache of a goat." Severus continued mildly in his usual lecture tone, inwardly smirking at the ironicness of finally having a child's rapt attention when neither a student, or in the classroom.

"Beazores are usefull for ridding the body of poison, and are used in many potions as a result of this trait. However, as with many items in potions, it can also have the opposite effect. If mixed carefully with the right ingrediants, a beazore can also be used as a poison, in this case..." Severus continued with this lecture as Harry dropped his gaze from suspicious to mild, and turned to face the wall. His ears however still remained latched to Severus' voice, tail softly swishing through the water colecting in the bottom of the bath.

20 or so minutes later, and Severus had all but hypnotised the cat-child. Ears relaxed on top of his head, tail twirling absentmindedly through the air, eyes half closed and tranquil, you could almost detect a soft purring noise as Severus Snape gently massaged the medicated shampoo through the jet hair for the 3rd time. The previously filthy and matted hair was now sleek and brightly shinning from the low lighting reflecting off of the water.

Severus smirked to himself as he continued with his never-ending account of potins, their ingrediants, uses, properties, and everything inbetween from his endless fountians of knowledge. He shared another private joke about this being the longest he had ever talked about potions whilst in the room with another being.

As he washed off the final round of conditioner also medicated, he thought once again to himself of the child's appendages as one swung slowly past him through the air. As of yet he had not come up with a plausible idea of how to rid the child of them, short of hacking them off. As a result of thos he had to follow Dumbledore's wishes, which were basically Harry's wishes when he was functional enough to make a decision for himself.

Although not pleased by this, Severus agreed that the decision was probably for the best as well, if the child was subject to too much change too soon, he would likely have a breakdown.

Severus continued his mantra of potions whilst he picked up harry, who fortunately had reverted to his trance-like state. Mindful of the child's injuries, Snape wrapped him in a towel and gently dried his hair, it would not do to get a cold on top of his other injuries. Laying Harry back on his hospital bed, Severus noticed a positively glowing Madame Pomfery watching him. 'Imbecile' Severus thought idly as he watched Harry drift off into the dark abyss of sleep.

The next few days passed much the same as the ones that had already passed, Harry slept for the majority of the time, mostly due to Pomfery's healing sleep incantations. Severus had given Harry another bath, which had passed much the same as the previous one, showing neither improvement or decline. McGonagle had visited once more, but as Harry had been asleep she had not been able to attempt the communication that was evidently necessary. Dumbledore had forestalled any other visits from her until Harry had been deemed heathy enough to move. As for the headmaster himself, he had been busy handling the press issues...and Fudge.

The Minister had quickly gotten over any fake-guilt that he had harbourd for the arrest of a five-year-old, now he was becoming quickly concerned with Harry's "progress", very interested in fact. He had made a request for daily check-ups, and been flatly refused, for medical reasons of course...

"The issue at hand though Severus, as im sure you know, is to give him enough to feed to the press, whilst he actually knows nothing at all." stated the Headmaster genially with the ever present twinkle in his eye.

"I do not think it wise to deem him an audience with the child at all, no matter what manner he comes in. Harry's still far too unstable."

"Oh I agree Severus, however he has begun to insist upon a cross-exmination in St Mungo's. I think that we need to find something to throw him off the scent for a bit...so to speak."

The two were currently in the headmaster's quarters, Severus would have idealy been in his lab...concocting, however with the current situation he had to be a resident in the castle. All of the staff currenly situated here would normally of course be at their own houses, but Pomfrey, Mc Gonagle, Snape and Dumbledore were now all staying in their rooms that they occupied during the term. Severus detested this...the school reminded him of children, students to be preciced. Oh how he loathed them, students that is, theres just something about endlessly trying to stuff knowledge and wisdom into stone-like brains that ruins a relationship.

Children themselves were an entirely different matter, they fascinated Severus in their absurdity, at least the ones that he met off-the-job were. During his time as a death eater, he had become obsessed to a point of the reactions of people in different situations, some decided to beg, others to beg for their loves, some were endlessly defiant. However it was children he found that produced the most interesting and obcene results. At school none of his fascination counted however, to him all of them were esentially the same, and none worth knowing. Severus still believed that he tortured people, mostly this was a ploy to equal the end result of not having to listen to their idiotic problems, their were few who could effectively capture his interest.

Although he regretted his past, to an extent, Severus didn't belive in self-pity, what he had done had been for reasons, good or bad, and it had already happened. He did not like the torture of children, the thought made him feel hotly sick, however he was still iterested by the effect of people under torture, it truly brung out what counted in a thing he found.

Therefore he had been inevitabley drawn to the tortured soul that remianed in the hospital wing, he was fascinating, and to the blackened part of Severus' mind he felt that the child was as much a healer as the medi-witch, with the added bonus of being unpredictable, and therefore less boring.

"I think that we should prolong the inevitable _visit_ as long as possible, send him Pomfrey's notes or something." Severus stated in a less then bothered voice. He had more important things to worry about, such as tail amputation, oh yes.

"Why that is an excellent idea! I shall see to it at once, now-"

"Dumbledore!" both men started at the sudden interuption, the voice called frantically from the fireplace "Its Harry, come quick!" with that the panicked transfiguration teacher's head vanished back into the fire.

"Come Severus" Dumbledore commanded as they both stepped towards the fire.

They stepped through the fire, and entered chaos.

Chairs shooted across the room, smashing and rikocheing off the walls, beds shuddered and tore apart, high pitched shrieking came from the walls, shaking as if in an earthquake, flames from the lamps transformed into lightning raceing through the room along the ceiling, hitting furniture and giving off hissing noises.

Madame Pomfery lay tangled in her robes off to one side of the room, a gash leaking blood on her head clearly showing her unconsiousness due to the flying furniture.

McGonagle stood, fending off the chairs and various medical items by systematically turning each item into a pillow, the scattered feathers adding to the confusion in the darkend room.

Harry himself stood in another corner of the room, leaning agaist the wall as a magical wind flew all around him, ruffling his clothes and causing his long hair to flutter around him. His cloudy, glazed over eyes seemed to shine in the dark, showing even brighter from the flare of the lightning. Even as the two men looked at the scene, the invisible wind forced Harry's bangs out of his face, giving a clear view of his lightning scar which was sputtering, emitting a faint green light about the room.

Without a moments warning, the headmaster had left Severus' side and come to stand directly in front of the dazed boy. The potions master swiftly defected a flying object and focused in on the sight before him.

The long, articulate fingers of the headmaster came to rest upon the temples of Harry's head. Not a word was said as dumbledore gazed intently into the vacant eyes, the whirling of the wind sped up, sending obgects flying and emitting a stirring sound that sounded almost like frantic whispers running from invisible mouths. Dumbledore remained clam and still, as if the universe had stopped working around him and the child.

Slowly Harry's eyes cleared and focused, as soon as they cleared, the emerald eyes shot up to directly stare into Dumbledore's electric blue eyes.

Time seemed to freeze as the room became more erratic, all eyes were now on the child and old man.

Harry's breathing became more audible as his mouth parted, staring deep into Dumbledore's penetrating glare.

"Th-three..." at the sound of the faint, weak and crackly voice that escaped the jet-haired child's lips, the whole room seemed to sit up to listen harder. Dumbledore showed no other emotion however. Giving an almost inperceptable nod to the child, he muttered in some magically rich ancient languege as Harry's eyes rolled back into his head and closed shut, his body going limp as a jade armband appeared on both of his wrists.

The effect was insantaneous, the furniture shuddered and dropped like stones to the floor as the migical wind ave one last surge of power, shattering the glass windows and fials in the room as it fused out.

"Albus what-"

"Did he just-" came the shocked questions from Snape and McGonagle, the two staring wide eyed and pale faced, and in McGonagle's case breathing harshly, as they watched the child, now uncontious in Dumbledore's arms.

"I have blocked Harry's magic with these bands until he is able to control it better. However, this scene seems to be a reaction of Harry's agic to a...invader of sorts. As far as i can gather Harry's magic is not oly very powerful, but also more intuitive then ours, animal instinct i guess you'd call it."

"But there was nothing and no-one in here, Albus, i has here the entire time. He just suddenly jolted awake and dashed to the corner, we asumed hed had a nightmare, and when Poppy moved closer, the wind suddenly blew her to the wall and, well, then the rest happened." She finished helplessly gesturing to the room in general.

"You have mistaken me Minerva, there has been a miagical intruder today. And as Harry reacted so strongly, we must find out soon what it was."

"But..." Severus begun, "what does 'three' mean?"

"That, is what we have to discover my friends, and soon." After that they all stared at the room, each contemplating in their own minds, each theory darker then the last.

:SORRY that this took long, i have been stranded from my internet in other countries and found it hard to write, i will be back to boarding in a few days however, and then more will come soonerx:

: P.s. I have been advised (and rightly so) to get a beta…so if anyone is interested please let me know… inspiration is also greatly welcomed from anyone, but my beta would have first digs…if it'sa consolation:

:please let me know ya thoughts, shadowtheo:


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN: good Snape, good Dumbledor, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), idiotic fudge, suggestions of child abuse

Intergration:5 Three

Snape had spent the past two days begining to recreate the potions that were lost in the boy'slittle explosion, and whereas some had been restoked already, many of the potions needed extended brewing time.

Harry had been sleeping for the two days due to over exhausion, the magic restraining bands the Dumbledore had conjoured seemed to beworking a treat, well as far as they could tell with the child asleep. They knew that the bands weren't not working anyway.

Madam Pomfrey had recovered well from he concusion, and was once again fearlessly fretting over her charge.

Proffesor McGonagle was researching animagus', trying to find out whatever she could about Harry's abnormal appendages. The work was tiring, but she was glad that she could be helping.

Dumbledore stayed in his study, wishing to be noted of any changes in Harry, but otherwise remaining out of contact completely, pacing and deling deep into memory to solve the mystery of the mystical presence. He had refused to perform, or allow Severus to perform, legilimens upon the child, stating that they should try to establish trust first.

It was another day until Harry woke up, green eyes slowly opening to blink at the world, Pomfrey immediately contacted the other proffesors with the news, Severus and Minerva arrived within seconds of the news, however there was no sign of the Headmaster.

The child slowly edged up the bed and stared vaguely around the room. All eyes were on the cat-child, no-one quite knowing how to procede, or how the occasion would continue. Each person begun to to have their own reasons for wishing that the calm Headmaster was here. He was the one who had communicated with the child, well if it could be named communication. He was the one who was doing the research, he may know how to begin this confrontation. Also, did the awakening of the child mean that there was another magical presence in the room.

Finally, after about five minutes of no Dumbledore, complete silence and inner warfare, Severus decided to take action. Calmly and slowly he stepped closer to the child, until he was right next to the bed, gazing intently at the stragely focused orbs.

Harry gazed caculatingly about the room when he woke up, his head felt clearer then it had when it was dark last, at the moment the light was shinning into the room, making everything seem softer at the edges. He vaguley, almost surrealy remembered that the light meant day, but the memory was slow,as if belonging to someone else. The clearness in his head felt nice, but it did nothing to clear the fuzziness that he saw. Three people stood in the room he could tell, he was sure that they were actual people, as the not-people people made him feel cold inside. Harry didn't know why he wasn't with the not-people anymore, and he didn't much care either, all he knew was that his head was clearer, and more in the present then it had been there, and he was glad of the change. Apart from the last time he was awake, at first he had been even more alert then normal, but then the see-through wind had started showing him, telling him things that he did not know or understand. The old man had made the clearness come back slightly, but he had felt like his mind was being pulled, the wind wanted something from him, and Harry didn't understand what, nothing, other then the fact that this was three. Three, the word and number that he could dreg up from the other-life like memories, told him that more was before three and more was after it, more words and more numbers. But it had all been too vague, too sticky and his head had hurt being pulled, the word was being yelled at him, so he told the old man, it seemed the right thing to do, and after he had he had felt better, and then tired, and then black, the blacker then 'dark' black. 'Night, the dark was night.' Harry mused to himself.

Now the tallest person was moving very slowly towards him, as he came close enough to be identified, Harry recognised him as the one who seemed to like water, Harry hated it, it was slippery and you couldn't breath through it. It got stuck in his hair and fur and made it heavier,and sometimes it just didn't seem to end!

Harry's inner rant about his hate of water stopped abruptley when he realised that the dark-tall-water man had stopped at his bed. Harry stared at the man, his eyes were very black, blacker then the black cloaths that he wore. They were full of things, most of which Harry could not name, but they weren't like the other person's, the old one's, his were much clearer somehow, but deeper. The man did nothing, and said nothing, though he seemed to want to. This was strange, as with the water he seemed to want to say a lot and did, Harry hadn't really understood it, but his tail was starting to get prickly with all the staring.

Deciding that something needed to be done, Harry remembered that the man seemed easier when he was with the water. There happened to be a jug of the despised stuff just on the block next to him, he could smell it, and though he hated the stuff, something had to be done, he sensed that the other two people were very anxious, the other cat/not cat person, and the clean, fretful one.

Harry slowly raised his hand, the stares became increasingly intense, and fast as lightning swiped the full jug towards the dark man. The water went all over him whilst the jug fell to the floor. There was silence until Severus computed that he was soaking...and that the child had done it.

"You had better be thankful that i refuse to hit animals!" Severus all but snarled at Harry, Poppy and Minerva jumping forwards to hold him back, though unnesesary. Harry didn't see why anger and fear were thick in the air, but he had stopped the staring, so he turned his attentions elsewhere, there was a thing slowly moving across the open window that was very inticing, but then the loud noise that was too quick for himto decipher was directed towards him.

"You! Harry! Did you think that that was amusing? WELL!" He blinked at the dark man. What was he being loud about, Harry had helped, what was the anger for? The loud-fast noises were confusing him, why did they all make the noise at the same time, it was a small room and they were all very close, Harry begun wondering if the plan was a good idea after all.

"Stop it this instant!" suddenly came the loudest, clearest voice of Albus Dumbledore.

Harry was relievedas all the noise stopped, he watched as the three people all crouded the old man, once again creating fast noises, at that moment they all seemed much younger to Harry, so he chocked out a laugh, wishing he hadn't spilt the water so he could drink it. Water was muh better when drunk then when in it.

With his laugh however, attention was once more put on him, and the old man came to him.

"Harry?" Harry was shocked when the man spoke softly and clearly enough for him to hear properly. After his shock had worn off he begun to think what the man had said, it was said like a question, but, 'Harry' was a name.

"N-name?" Harry asked, speaking was hard, it hurt his throat, but he could remember talking, he had talked a lot in the place with the not-people, everyone had, well it was more like mumbling, sometimes he screamed, everyone else had done that to. Talking was easy enough, but it making sense was not easy at all.

The man waited patiently whilst Harry got lost in tought and then focused on him again.

"Who's name?" a sensible enough question he supposed, after all he knew it was a name, he must know it was a name for a reason. As he contemplated this, the slow stcky memories came back. He saw fat people, and a thin person. they were clearer then his 'now' vision, they were also understandable when they spoke. _It was Harry, he did it Dad. _The small fat one pointed to where Harry looked from.

"Mine?" He heard his own hesitation, and waited.

"Yes, you are Harry." The man answered calmly, and Harry let a small smile out, the name seemed important, silly though it seemed. The name fit so well, and the memories seemed to become slightly less sticky. He realised that if a name made him feel happy, he should learn more, then others would be happy.

"Your name?" Harry asked anxiously

"Albus." replied the old man with a gentle, but sinning smile on his face.

"Harry, what is 'three'?" He asked calmly enough, but this time there was an intensity to those blue eyes that wasn't present before. However, Harry felt obligated to answer, as well as he could anyway.

"Wind...?" At Albus' encouraging nod he continued.

"No-colour, pictures, numbers, words..." Harry was becoming increasingly unsure with the intense stares that he was getting. The dark man suddenly got an inquisitive look on his face.

"What pictures did you see?" Harry turned to Albus looking confused, who repeated the question slower, this seemed to annoy the dark man but Harry didn't pay attention as he concentrated. He remembered the pictures, but they were fast, and some were hard to name and describe, some he didn't know what they were.

"Tree..." he beun slowly, his head was starting to hurt.

"Rocks, tree, houses, tree, dark, shiney, green, black, tree..." The images replayed, and Harry kept his eyes closed as he recited what he could put into words, the pictures were getting faster, his head hurt.

"Fish, wood, forest, fire, bottle, five, two, three, tree, three, hello, goodbye, three, tree, three, dark, night, bright, cry, slow, dry, tree, three..." Harry was aware that he wasn't making any sense, but the world had started to spin, his head felt like it was going to burst.

Harry pryed his eyes open, breathing shallow and erratic. He kept seeing 'three', either the three that was the number, word, or the tree-three, or the invisible wind. The people's faces started to distort, sway and shade to different colours and shapes as he begun to hear the high pitched keening of nonsense words and sentences that he had heard the night before. It reminded him of the things that he had heard with the not-people, only there were more voices and all at once.

"High pitched, low voises, hushed whispers, screams, laughter, mutters, tears, voices, singing, talking, dying, living..." His voice was becoming hoarse and shuddery, the Proffesors and medi-witch were all looking on, shocked to a standstill as the cat child begun to hold hishead in agony, rocking back and forth, ears flat back, tail strictly straight, tremors running through his body.

The numbers the pictures the sounds, everything was to loud, it hurt, he could almost smell the hurt it hurt so much. Just when he thought he could bear it no longer, he was vaguely aware of someone holding his head.

Aware that tears were streaming from his eyes, sending salty tangs into his mouth, Harry felt he could no longer support his own weight. Clinging helpessly to the hands supporting his head, he was aware of the pain dimming. Shaking uncontrollably he felt another presense in his mind, a dark one, clouding off the pain of 'three' and allowing him to breath.

Gradually he felt 'three' going away, going to sleep, almost apolagetically, the last thing that it left was an all-consuming thought. It was a sound, smell, sight and thought all at once. A great, looming forest shrouded by darkness and mist, roaring up into the sky; tall, dark and ominous, consuming all around it with an auror of power and warning.

Harry's vision cleared to the sight of the bed beneath him, still breathing hard, he glanced up to see the tall, dark man holding him this time, watching him intently and deeply. Before he could speak, nausea took him, and he wrenched away from the man to vomit over the side of the bed.

The strong but gently hands quickly found him again and removed his hair from the line of fire. After his stomach felt that t had been ripped apart, and his throat burned with displeasure, Harry let his rigid quivering body fall to a heap, vaguely surprised when he was caught and laid back down. Too tired to open his eyes, he felt the blanket being drapped on him comfortingly.

"Y-your n-name?" he weakly asked.

"Sn-Severus..." Came the deep, edged voice, this time slow enough to comprehend. "Can you tell me what-"

"When its not blacker-dark," Harry interupted feebly, and barely audibly he added a faint "-Severus" Before going into the state of blacker-dark, or sleeping that he had just been talking of.

:P.s, if i have spelt any names/places wrong then please correct me, dont abuse me about it:

:thanks for the reveiws, they mean a lot and faster writing! more soon hopefully:

please let me know ya thoughts, Shadowtheo


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

AN: good Snape, good Dumbledore, helping/hurt/comfort/angst/bonding/learning/action/powers, potentially disturbed/distressed Harry, neko/kitty Harry (very cute), and idiotic fudge!

Intergration:6 The Answers

How could you want to save someone you didn't know? The question whirled through Severus' head as he contemplated. He and Dumbledore had just attended a meeting with Fudge, and about 10 other ministry members, upon Harry's progress. Even though neither of the men from Hogwarts had brought up the incident of 'three' it seemed the magical flux had registered on the ministry records, apparently as _forced_ magic, ones that usually didn't register, remained constant.

The meeting had been full of accusations and hinted meanings. It seemed that Fudge would now only be satisfied with a personal encounter with the child, as he believed himself to be the least biased judge.

'Pfft!" Severus found himself thinking that, Fudges 'un-biased' meeting would be Harry's one-way ticket to St Mungos, brain washing, and manipulation for the military. After all, even with Azkaban, Harry was still the 'boy who lived', mentally unstable or not.

Physically, Harry was now fine, healed to a tea, but still spending most of his time asleep. The few times he had been awake, Pomfrey had refused any questioning in favor of him eating some small meals, as the child was still desperately thin. To Severus he had seemed normal enough mentally, he had a god temperament and did not display obverse reactions as long as movement and words were kept within his vision and hearing range-or understanding range was a better phrase. When things got beyond his range of comprehension, Harry tended to block out the world, what he thought about Severus would probably never work out.

However, the meeting had been concluded that, in three days Fudge would visit the boy and assess his health and progress. It had not been the actual decision though, but what Fudge had muttered to Severus and Dumbledore after the meeting that had been the most annoying.

_"Cornelius, if you have no intention of saving, protecting this child, then you have no right to even see him at all." Dumbledore had calmly, yet forcefully said._

_"Save, protect, how can you want to save someone you don't know? Even if it's upon a matter of principle, you can never truly _know_ anyone."_

The man may be dim, but he did say some damn confusing things. Severus was currently in his lab as he mulled. It was true though, he really did not know much about the child, his likes dislikes, what his personality was, all the uninteresting things that he would usually catch unwanted snippets of during the term of the other students.

The potions master was now on his way to the hospital wing with an armful of potions to be restocked. The child was certainly a puzzle, one that today he intended to get to the bottom of.

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As Severus entered the hospital wing he immediately noticed that Harry was standing up in the middle of the room. He put the potions silently on a nearby bed and drew his wand to be prepared for anything, all in a matter of seconds, until he saw Pomfrey bumbling into the room holding a chart and her wand.

"Well I'm just thrilled with your progress dear, in fact I believe that soon you can be given a tour of the school!" She seemed unnecessarily hyper to the stoic potions master, and he could almost feel himself groaning inwardly as she turned and spotted him.

"Oh Severus! Well you came at an excellent time! Harry is now completely physically healed!" Severus noted the term 'physically' duly. The extent of Harry's mental injuries were as of yet unknown, other then his little incidents, they had seen no specific signs of anything other then a strong dislike for water. Severus supposed however, that this was more to do with being separated from the fluid for so long then anything specifically psychological. _That, and well, him being part cat._ Severus thought dryly.

"So, he can move fully then?" Severus questioned as oppose to voicing his thoughts, whilst he moved closer to the pair.

"Yes I can." Harry answered in a way that suggested he did not appreciate being spoken about like he was not there.

"Well, if you're so better, do some jumps for me." Severus sneered, just because the kid was potentially traumatized did not mean that he had to be..._nice_ to it.

"Okay" Harry answered simply, and took a deep breath.

"Severus, we shouldn't rush him, he still needs more rest!" Pomfrey begun in a frantic, mother-hen-like manner.

"Oh calm down, like a couple of star jumps will send him into a coma-" The two ceased bickering however, when they turned to see the child perform a back flip followed by a jump that led him to spin upside down before landing. (AN-if anyone knows a technical name please tell me!)

Harry landed as softly as breath from these, belaying his animagus' nature. Severus and Poppy stood gaping at this until Severus, being the most practical voiced a question.

"Uhhh," He begun with none of his usual elegance of tongue. "How, where did you learn to do that?"

The child looked thoughtful, and slightly confused.

"Umm, before-before.." Harry said vaguely waving his hand and laying his ears back.

"Do you mean at the, Dursley's?" Madam Pomfrey queried after consulting her charts. "Uh, when you were with your aunt and uncle?"

"Who're they, don't think I had an uncle...I had a sir, and a ma'am though..." Harry's eyes were squinted as he talked haltingly this time, tail swishing slightly.

"They, err, were your aunt and uncle Harry, do you remember them?" Severus questioned whilst sharing a squinted glance at Pomfrey, who looked just as confused as he did.

"I said, I never _had_ an aunt or uncle. Didn't you listen." These words came out much clearer than normal, as Harry stared questioningly at the two adults. Now his ears were pricked forward full, and his tail was deathly still.

"I know they may not have felt like family, but technically they were, do you remember anyone?" Pomfrey asked in an almost desperate manner, she seemed intent on working out both the mental stability of Harry, and getting him to realize that he did in fact have a family.

Severus was also listening intently; this conversation was certainly going to give him some answers about the child.

When Harry did speak, it was at a faster pace, and the clearest they had heard yet.

"The fat one and the thin one may have been family but they're dead now and I never thought of them as family, the smaller fat one wasn't any different. They just ate all the time and talked and watched moving pictures, and I just slept and drank and read. We interacted very little, and I didn't care and neither did they." Harry, despite the child like language seemed suddenly older, more mature and wise, wise in the fact that he didn't dwell on the insignificant matters, or the ones that he didn't understand.

"But, weren't you lonely, you're only a child?" Pomfrey seemed near tears at this stage, but Severus prevented any answer to her question by asking his own.

"How did you know they died? I found you in a cupboard." He asked curiously.

Harry turned his full gaze to Severus, his look one of deep truth and acceptance, so deep it seemed to sink to his soul and become mixed into darkness underneath.

"I saw them dead, its easy to tell when someone's dead, they don't move." The two full-grown wizards stared unabashedly at the child, both in a state of shock that allows the brain to be screaming and yet think nothing.

"Why is that such a problem? To have seen something dead, it was the most truthful id ever seen them. I think that when you're dying, no-one tries to hide themselves anymore, it's like the ultimate freedom." Harry shrugged in all innocence, loosing his stiff stance and absentmindedly playing with his tail.

Pomfrey still looked shocked as Severus smiled and knelt down, looking slightly up at Harry.

"So you would be interested in a fresh start then, if you live in the present so effectively."

"Its already a new start, its better here." Harry answered truthfully, his smile had the effect that lumos did in a dark room, and the tension melted with the sight of it.

"Right then!" Said Pomfrey, coming back to her usual business like manner, "A fresh start requires a fresh meal!" Snape nearly toppled over with exasperation for the woman's unending obsession for feeding children. _Sometimes I swear she only became the nurse because she failed to make her nieces obese._ Snape thought bitterly as Harry delicately sniffed the food on the tray handed to him.

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Snape remained in the room for longer then necessary under the pretence o making sure the potions cabinet was correctly labeled. Harry had merrily dug in to the average sized meal, and succeeded in eating three quarters of it, before glaring at it as if it had done him a personal wrong, and begun despondently stabbing the broccoli. Severus couldn't blame him; the vegetable was one he particularly loathed, on about an equal level to a tearful Hufflepuff.

Soon the abused plate was removed by a scolding Pomfrey, and replaced with a glass of milk.

Severus observed curiously as Harry inspected and sniffed the milk suspiciously, then gulped half of it down, choked and slowly slurped the rest.

The potions master nearly scolded himself as he chuckled watching the child's antics. _I'm turning into the old man. _He thought in a shocked way before re-re-labeling a shelf with magic.

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By the time the entire process of lunch was accomplished, Severus had given up on his 'fake' labeling, and was sitting on a bed reading the Daily Prophet and the latest Rita Skeeta article. Pomfrey was compulsively straitening already straitened linen, and Harry was gazing around the room. He soon seemed to tire of this however, and reverted to being a black cat once more, then, he begun to chase his tail on the bed, completely messing the bed and making a lot of noise generally.

Severus was genuinely amused by this display, and continued to watch until the child had caught the offending item between all four paws, and promptly fell off the bed, the linen falling on top of him.

Pomfrey shrieked, although Severus couldn't decide whether this was out of concern for her charge's welfare, of because of the now rumpled linen.

Harry emerged from the tangled linen in human (ish!) form and shook his head violently muttering something about 'stupid flat not-clouds'. He rose to his feet and almost stalked to where Severus was sitting on a bed by the window.

Trying to keep a straight face Severus asked calmly, "Did you have fun?"

"Probably about three times as much fun as you did watching me." Harry positively smirked back.

"I think it was better when you were incapable of speech." Severus snapped, causing Harry to let out a cackle of laughter, just as the Headmaster strolled calmly into the room.

"Well, I'm glad to see you children having fun!" he commented merrily with the in-destructible twinkle in his eye.

Harry and Pomfrey smiled... Severus scowled.

"I came to speak with all of you on my latest theory, that is, if Harry is willing to help me?" Dumbledore asked fairly, and beamed at Harry's trusting nod.

"What is it Dumbledore?" Pomfrey asked immediately.

"Oh, well I will not be telling you until Harry has either confirmed or rejected the theory." The headmaster looked expectantly at Harry along with the other two in the room. _This is so like the riddling old fool._ Severus thought in an exasperated manner.

"What can I do?" Harry questioned cautiously.

"It's quite simple little one, I just request that you tell me what 'three' is."

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"It's quite simple little one, I just request that you tell me what 'three' is."

Harry contemplated the question carefully; he felt that the right answer mattered more with this man then the other two, even Severus.

Thinking back to the last time he had tried to remember 'three' he immediately recalled the final image that had been shown to him.

"FOREST!" he yelled excitedly. His head felt much clearer now, and he felt happy at being able to think better. However at the two confused looks, along with the eager one from Albus, he felt he should be more expressive.

"Errrr, big, and-and dark, erm powerful, and misty..." He trailed off feebly looking up at Albus' smiling face.

"Excellent, Harry, excellent!" Harry beamed with the praise, and sat back on the bed, tail curling around his tucked up feet, knowing that it was now Albus' time to explain.

"Well" Severus begun impatiently. "What does that mean"

"What it means is that my theory is most likely correct." The Headmaster stated, taking a deep breath before he begun.

"Back when I was being taught, the NEWT year classes were still taught about the beliefs of the ancient wizards and witches in the time of the founders of our school. Back then; it was commonly believed that there were several areas in the world of immense magical power. These places could be found due to the specific aura of them. It was believed that a person completely in tune with their own magic and therefore in tune with nature, and with others, would be more susceptible to these ancient magics.

"I believe that as Harry was separated from humanity from such a young age, that he was able to understand his magic better, and is most likely in tune with it. As he had very few distractions, whereas with your average magical child they will simply take their random magical explosions for granted, Harry and his magic would have both developed very synchronized with each other. This in turn would allow Harry to understand why his magic did what it did and when it might do something.

"This doesn't necessarily give a better level of control however, as the ancients found. In fact these in-tune people or, _Tuners_, as they were called, often had their magic so tied with themselves that even as adults, the magic was still deeply entwined in their emotional centers, as well as their sensing ones, that they were prone to devastating magical explosions. This in-stability led to the few remaining Tuners to be systematically wiped out, and the knowledge of the 'sacred' magical areas basically lost with them.

"Scant knowledge, or theories have remained however. For example, I think that we can assume that there are seven areas of heightened magic, as seven is the most magically in-tune number it makes sense. Also I believe that this 'three' is one of the magical areas, and that its aura was here to seek out and examine Harry's aura for itself.

"We know from ancient texts, that each of these areas represented different elements, and therefore different aspects of magic. It was also said that one who accepted the energy and aura of these places, would become connected to their power, and gain their abilities." After pausing for several moments to let this knowledge sink in, the Headmaster continued.

"The final piece of knowledge that we have, is that the four founders of Hogwarts built the school very close to one of these areas of ancient magic. I think that we can assume that Harry's proximity to the area is why it called out to him, but of course as we supposed that it was an attack, and in Harry's ill state he did not know to tune his magic to the presence, well, I believe it is fair to say that chaos reigned."

After he had finished, the room fell into a deadly silence, all three of his listeners now thinking. It was Severus, unsurprisingly, who was first to open his mouth.

"But, if they built the school near an one of the ancient powers, and Harry said he saw a forest..." Harry could feel the air becoming thick with thought and anticipation as the nurse suddenly cried out.

"The forbidden forest!"

"That is right Poppy, well done!" the headmaster beamed.

"I did all the groundwork," mumbled Severus childishly. "But why did we never feel anything?"

"Because we are not in tune like Harry is, to us it feels like your average magical forest. However, we have all noticed the amount of magical creatures in there. I think that it is most likely that the animals are more in tune with the ancient magic then we are."

"So, this forest is here?" Harry asked, half confused, half excited.

"Yes, and tomorrow, when you have rested, we will take you to were you can see it." Albus promised as Harry yawned. The sun was already setting.

"Okay." Harry mumbled as he curled up. However, as he had reverted back to being a cat, all that came out was a soft meow.

: YAY! I finally finished another one! Sorry for the long wait but my exams have started and I really need at pass!:

:Thankyou for the reviews, as always and ideas/thoughts are welcome...and needed hehe!:

PPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT _IMPORTANT!!_ I AM NOW DOING TWO VOTES!

HERE IT IS: FIRST-which element should the forest be out of earth, fire, air, water, lightning, life or death? It is entirely up to you; even if it turns out weird, cos ill figure it out

ALSO, WITH YOUR VOTE FOR THE ELEMENT: SECONDLY-please suggest ability, _any_ ability that you think should be gained with it. Think, if you are the one that votes, you could get your way entirely!

By the way-I mean NO offence to broccoli in this chapter, I actually quite like it, but I thought brussle sprouts were too obvious.

Thankyou for reading and please let me know your votes, otherwise who knows what will happen with my brain hehe!

Seeya next time!

:shadowtheo:


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my own imagination.

NOTE!: to al those who voted thank you very much for all your great suggestions! also if what you voted for does not appear in this chapter, don't fret! all suggestions have been duly noted for future reference, and therefore abilities and elements with them may appear later. Hope you enjoy the show!

Integration:7 Harry Run!

The morning light shone bright through the castle windows, casting a watery light over the paintings and suits of armour. The only signs of life were the few busy house elves that were still present over the holidays, the fluttering of the school's owls, and the movements of five figures of different heights through the long corridors.

Professors Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore, as well as Madame Pomfrey and Harry Potter, strolled along the top-most corridor of Hogwarts. The corridor had windows basically covering both walls, and the August light illuminated the figures.

Harry made small jumping movements in excitement as he went along next to the transfiguration teacher, who was sporting a stern yet amused expression.

"Severus, I believe the reason that your bond with Harry has ended is because he now has no more need for your help at a distance. He has you for real now after all." Dumbledore smiled benevolently at the other man. They had just been discussing the connection, or lack of it at the moment.

"It was his magic reaching out to you after all."

"So, you believe it may come back?" Severus asked, genuinely curious. 

"It may, if there ever arises a need." The elder replied cautiously. Severus sensed the man becoming secretive again and chose to leave the conversation.

The group entered a wide room, the ceiling and walls completely glass, across the top of the room large cogs and hands turned in a never ending dance, like the inner workings of a clock.

Harry stared at the moving objects transfixed, long black tail swishing faintly. It was almost as though he might pounce on them. Dumbledore moved forward and stood next to him.

"Harry." Once he had gained the younger's attention he continued. "Is this the forest?" He indicated the looming mass out the window with a long finger.

The cat-child moved forwards slowly, then all but pounced onto the small window seat, face pressed up against the glass. Severus, Minerva and Poppy shared glances, as though expecting a light display, or some sign of power from either the boy or the forest. There was none however. Only Harry's endless wonder gave any indication that there was a connection.

"That's right..." Harry murmured softly.

A loud crack suddenly echoed through the room, Harry jumped up in shock to stare at the small creature on the floor. The house elf bowed fretfully to the occupants of the room.

"The Minister of Magic is in the great hall and is wishing to see the professors and nurse, he says that he has come to see the young Potter child!" The elf recited very fast and squeakily.

"Thank you Lobo, please tell him that I will be right down." Dumbledore spoke kindly and calmly as the elf nodded.

"But sir, he is already coming up here to see you!"

"Ah, well in that case please return to the kitchen, thank you." The elf nodded and disappeared. "Poppy, Minerva, please hold up the Minister, try to deter him, if you will."

The two witches nodded and dashed off swiftly.

With that Dumbledore waved his wand deftly at the window Harry was standing next to. The glass folded up, effectively opening itself.

"We will need to hide Harry." He pointed out to Severus unnecessarily. Pointing his wand at Harry he spoke again. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry lifted off the ground, and he yelped in surprise as he drifted out the window.

"Do you not think the Minister may be slightly suspicious?"

"We will have to deal with that when the time comes." Dumbledore answered in an infuriatingly calm voice as he lowered the floating child onto the grounds below the window. Harry was quite bemused at the phenomenon, but he could sense the magic flowing around him and found he enjoyed the feeling of freedom. Evidently the child was not scared of heights, Severus thought with some relief.

Suddenly the door burst open and Poppy dashed in, quickly shutting it behind her. She was panting and looked quite scared.

"I'm sorry Albus, but I've just done something terrible!"

"What happened Poppy?" Dumbledore asked once they were sure Fudge wasn't going to burst into the room.

"Well, he was asking us all these questions, we didn't know how to slow him down and he was becoming very persistent, I couldn't think, so, so I said the first thing that came into my head!" She looked quite frantic now, wringing her hands, insistently. Severus made a mental note to never have this women with him in a desperate situation. 

"What did you say?" Albus asked calmingly. 

"I-I, I told him that Harry was dead!" She all but screeched, covering her eyes. Severus pinched his nose to prevent himself from hexing the stupid woman, and double checked his mental note. Even Dumbledore's eyes widened incredulously at the women. 

"What happened then?" The headmaster questioned in an only slightly less calm tone.

"Well, I pretended to cry and ran out, made it look like I was heading for the hospital wing and ran here. As I left I heard Minerva telling the Minister that he had suddenly deteriated, but then the Minister insisted that he search the castle and grounds in case we were lying!" The medi-witch panted as she finished, trying to avoid Severus' furious glare.

"Well, it can not be helped Poppy, who knows, you may have done us a favour." Dumbledore spoke as he waved his wand. "Fudge is coming. Severus, tell Harry to hide." Albus said swiftly in a serious tone.

Dashing to the window as Poppy disappeared down a trap door that held a tunnel leading to the infirmary. Looking down at Harry, Severus only hoped that he would listen. The child was watching him steadily, tail swishing anxiously.

"Harry, run!"

He could not hear what they had been talking about, but he could almost taste the tension, which only mounted when he saw Severus at the window. It was the tone rather then the words that got Harry moving. He could feel the older man's nerves and anxiety as if he had yelled his thoughts rather then instructions.

Harry didn't question it or hesitate as he spun around towards the forest, half way through transforming into his animagus form and streaking away across the grass.

Harry, although scared, couldn't help but enjoy the feelings around him. The wind rushed through his fur, the ground was soft under his delicate paws, and he couldn't remember ever running this far or fast. The adrenaline made him push himself faster, practically flying across the ground to the welcoming dark of the forest.

Since he could remember things clearly, he hadn't felt as capable as he did now, instinctually darting swiftly over and under tree roots, jumping only to land expertly on one paw with impeccable balance.

He came to a stop a good distance from the first trees. He could feel none of the power he felt before, he looked down at his paws to see the bars of jade that clasped his front legs. The magic seemed close and far at the same. 

Feeling the need to alert the forest to his presence he began to meow desperately, the calls would not have made sense even to a cat. He kept on Mewing, it was the only thing he knew to do. 

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Back at the castle an irate Fudge was stomping down the marble staircase to the great hall. He had finished searching the castle by enlisting the help of the paintings, which had no reason to lie to him. He was furious, true he had not found the boy, but he had found no body either, and even though all four members of staff had told him they had burned the body and scattered the ashes to lay him at peace, he did not believe a word of it.

The four followed the Minister as he made his way to the door to continue the search. Severus let off a silent plea to Harry for him to be smart and not let himself be caught, he realised that he could have been more specific in his instructions, but there had been no time. He was ready to curse Fudge, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

The bright side was that if they managed to pull this off, at least they wouldn't have to worry about Fudge insisting he should take the child. Dumbledore was always up for a daring scam anyway, one could tell just by looking at his face and the amused expression, coupled by the ever-twinkling eyes. 

Back in the forest Harry's voice was becoming hoarse, he hadn't made this much noise in ages, and it was showing. The sudden cracking of branches around him caused him to jump and fall quiet. He glanced around, unable to see what was drawing closer until a shadow loomed over his back.

Jumping around Harry stared up at a huge four legged creature. Several more emerged, circling him, looking down at him whilst their feet made interesting clicking noises on the twigs and stones. Harry's breathing was short and sharp, ears flat and fur standing on end.

"It is a cat Firenze! cats are not supposed to be in our forest!"

"Bane, can you not feel it's magic? This is not merely a cat." As the attention of the second creature once again returned to him, Harry let out a soft hiss, what did they want anyway?

"What are you child?" Harry backed away, only to run into a hard surface. Swinging around he could not make out what the shadowy figure was. He Transformed back to human and jumped backwards, letting off a small yelp as he met two white eyes in a bony face. Looking further he saw a few many legged creatures with numerous beetle black eyes staring at him.

Harry spun around, each way he faced seemed to hold different types of creature, birds, beasts, insects, reptiles, all looking at him fixatedly.

"Look, the true power is being masked by the jade, but it's still there." The creature from before spoke again.

"That is not important Firenze! It does not belong in our forest!" At his words the tension from the surrounding creatures increased, and many released what Harry interpreted as anger. Before the creatures had just been curious, now they were mad. Harry could tell that many were conversing, due to the noise however, he could not understand.

His head was beginning to throb, and he could not make the forest hear him.

"I think we should eat it, then kill the centaurs, what do you think Maxwell?"

"Oh yes, certainly the proper course of action Cuthbert." Harry looked to the side to see two blood red snakes debating. He could feel the world spinning as the noise grew.

"STOP IT!" Harry yelled, and in a last attempt to connect with the forest, pushed all his emotion and forced out all the magic he could feel in him. Drawing on his magic he could feel it surface slowly at first, as if pushing against some resistance. Opening his eyes, he saw the jade rings glowing faintly, his own magic was dying down.

Almost as soon as he felt this, he saw the forest creatures drawing back, vines were moving towards him, the grass beneath him was growing, tentacles of unknown plants were reaching for him.

Harry once again felt the forest's magic pulse around him, and realised that it was trying to help. He drew up his magic again, feeling it hit and shrink against the resistance, but he kept drawing on it this time. All around him the forest sensed the magic and rushed to the source. Harry saw enlarged blades of grass and vines wrapping around the jade and squeezing it.

Tiny cracks begun to trace up the rings, as the cracks met and grew Harry felt his magic surge out. His own magic appeared as a bright green, blending in with the deeper, emerald green pulses of the forest, as they grew together, Harry became intensely aware of his surroundings. He could hear, smell, taste and see to a whole new level. He could feel the forest growing, knew of all the creatures in it, could see the hidden parts deep within. Suddenly, Harry experienced a rushing on his senses, he felt in tune with every molecule of the forest, through the onslaught of input on his mind, the forest seemed to direct him.

He could see four figures at the entrance of the forest, moving slowly and akwardly through the dense undergrowth. The feeling of tension radiating off them was almost overwhelming. Anger, nerves, aggravation, and a truly penetrating state of calm. Harry realised that this was not only Albus, Severus and the other cat, but also the one he should hide from.

Harry felt the forest smiling at him, comforting him. Inexplicably knowing what to do, Harry drew in the surrounding pulses with his own magic, tuning it into himself and to his own magic. Flawlessly, the pulses timed with his own and died down. The visual signs of magic had gone and Harry noticed his surroundings once more, he could not distinguish it from his own magic, but could feel the tranquillity of it under the surface. 

Feeling the approaches of the others Harry pushed himself against a tree nearby and released magic into it, directing the tree with it. Harry drew the released magic around him, and soon felt himself encompassed in the tree. Though he could not see, he could sense his surroundings through the tree. It was a strange, but not an unpleasant experience.

"This is ridiculous Minister, if you are so disbelieving of our tale, please do try summoning the child yourself." Dumbledore remarked in an amused manner to the frustrated Fudge.

Severus did not know quite what the headmaster was playing at with this plan, Harry would surely be revealed. His question was answered soon enough though.

"Although, I must insist that if that does not provide the results you are hoping for that you end this little charade for once and for all." Severus felt the headmaster was placing a lot of faith in the boy, and that he had not simply hidden under a bush, but managed to tune completely. He hoped it was not misplaced. Fudge however, seemed mightily pleased with this, hopelessly oblivious to greater magic then the summoning charm.

"Yes, excellent idea. Accio Harry Potter!" The minister exclaimed with wand aloft. The increasing tension decreased dramatically after several minutes of nothing happening, not even the snap of a twig.

"Well Minister, you have your answer, now please depart, and think no more on this." Dumbledore commented cheerily, and turned to the transfiguration teacher. "Minerva, will you please escort the Minister to the gates? Thank you."

After a hasty assent, Minerva led the red man away, who was muttering about the complications of having to cover this matter up somehow.

"Well that went well. Harry, feel free to come out now." Snape all but gawped at the headmaster, and really did gawp when Harry begun to appear out of the tree directly in front of him, with the ease of a ghost moving through a wall.

"How..."

"I believe Harry has managed to connect with the forests magic, am I right?"

"Yup! All good sensing!" Harry said merrily as Dumbledore beamed, Snape decided to just accept that Harry had connected and leave it at that. The child was evidently still confused with words, but at least he seemed stable now, and more focused.

"Also I believe that we can assume the forest contained the element of earth due to Harry's new found ability to blend with trees. I think we can assume that the ability he gained from the forest's power was some variety of plant affinity. We should research this more soon, it could be vital information in understanding this power."

The snapping of twigs nearby alerted the three to the sudden presence of two centaurs. 

"I told you to leave it Firenze! You will be out of the heard unless we leave now!" The lighter centaur approached Harry none the less, who seemed to be able to sense that this one meant no harm.

"You must be quick with your task child, none of us have much longer. They must be united child, good luck." With that the centaur galloped back to the other and they disappeared into the dark.

"What does all that mean Albus?" Severus questioned softly. Dumbledore had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I do not know." Harry turned to the pair, tail swishing softly and ears relaxed.

"It's clear! The others have to be all together with this one, I think that that will make them happier!" The meaning this time reached Severus despite the stunted language.

"I believe it means that Harry must tune himself to all of the seven ancient powers and unite them. Why? I have no idea, but perhaps we will find out." The two men shared a glance. They soon left the forest to go and ease the worries of the other two, and to allow Pomfrey to feed her 'dead' patient. Severus vaguely thought that he may not get himself into these problems if he had never become a teacher.

:YAY! Finished another one, I hope you liked and are not disappointed hehe, also: _IMPORTANT!!_

:ANOTHER VOTE!: I know I just did one, but this is to keep me focused and on track, otherwise it may take me ages to write again as I just finished what I was working up to!

:HERE IT IS!: which element should be found next, just voting on elements not powers right now, you can choose from: water, fire, air, lightning, life and death. Please let me know ya thoughts and any ideas that you have, they are, as always, endlessly helpful!:

:The majority of the votes were for earth and plant affinity, so woop for those that voted that, and like I said, do not be upset if your vote was not used, for all were excellent ideas and will and have helped greatly!:

:AND! special thanks goes to Sethrial who betad this, great job and I will see you next chapter -:

:Thank you for the reviews and ideas, they make my day:

:Please let me know ya thoughts, shadowtheo:


	8. Chapter 8

:: Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination::

Integration: 8 Air: 1

Harry's brain tumbled softly through images and darkness. He flew over a high tower with a clock face in its surface. The stormy gray skies made the clock seem illuminated in a green-yellow light that shone eerily still onto the roofs and darkened alleys below, reflecting from the rain.

As the image dissolved into another one Harry saw a huge darkened room, this time illuminated by crimson light emitting from a raised plus sign on the floor. The arches cast eerie shadows on the voluminous ceiling. Ornate metal stairs led to a platform out of site, the twisted rails gave the impression of long gone finery due to a blackened copper color.

Once more the scene changed to quickly flash a view of a metal slab at the top of the stairs before Harry's vision rushed downwards to the slab. As he stood in front of it he saw a brightly glowing orb, shining so bright it blanked out the rest of the room whilst shedding no light on it. Such pure colors shone through its surface that Harry could scarcely name them. As he peered into the depths he was hit with such an all consuming knowledge that _this_ glass, cold orb contained _air_ and that it was reaching for him.

Just as Harry reached out a shimmering hand to touch the frozen surface, bright colors jutted around him, jarring painfully with the pure colors of air.

Harry felt himself tumbling violently backwards as a face pierced his vision intrudingly. The long sun blonde hair and deep, almost black, blue eyes imprinted themselves into his vision as a voice threatened-

"You're not supposed to be here." -before everything burned white, and then black before Harry gazed up at the worried faces around him.

Harry's head had ached terribly that morning. After explaining the dream as best as he could to Albus, Severus, Poppy and Minerva (he had learnt their names), he had been let outside under the supervision of the worrying one.

Harry was practicing the use of his new powers; only he seemed to be having a few problems. Albus had told everyone to name their favorite flower so that Harry could try to grow it. He had understood, especially when he felt the emerald magic pushing his brain to comprehend.

It wasn't working. He would try to concentrate on a spot of ground and picture the flower, as he had been instructed. However, whenever he tried (which was many times by now) all he had succeeded in doing was making the earth he was staring at explode.

He could feel the nurse (as he had learnt) watching him with pity. Every ounce of her energy and magic was telling him that she didn't believe he could do it, that it wasn't possible, that yesterday had been a fluke.

The very thought frustrated him to no end. He could feel his magic bubbling with his anger, getting more powerful as he focused on the feeling. Closing his eyes Harry held out his hand above the ground that he had been staring at.

As he opened his eyes he sent a spike of magic to the ground that caused a blinding flash of mingled green to temporarily light the area. When his and Poppy's vision was restored the grass was covered by weeds, every kind imaginable. Harry smiled and bent down to sniff a dark one with a red flower. Poppy screamed. Harry glared at her as she shot dirty looks at the nettles around her.

"Albus!" She cried indignantly.

Harry stood up slowly; tail swishing furiously and ears back. He opened his mouth to tell her that plants were all beautiful, and were being the best ones that they could be. But he never got a chance.

Just as he was about to speak a jet of magic rushed past him and hit Poppy, who fell unconscious. A split second later Harry felt himself go flying, he briefly caught a glimpse of never-ending sky, with blues that went on forever, before he collided with an unseen object and the world once again went black.

Ten days had passed since Harry had been kidnapped, and only now was another rescue about to commence. Oh they had known where Harry had been taken. It was a place called the 'Witches Tower' that had been built as a haven some centuries ago. It was abandoned now (supposedly) and protected from muggles view.

They would have set off immediately, had Fudge not decided upon any sudden fire calls and visits to the ministry to fill out the forms of Harry's death and a funeral. Also there was the fact that the head of Hogwarts couldn't easily be seen running off after a dead child when school was to restart in three days.

"Three days..." muttered to Severus as they planned to depart, Dumbledore having ensured that no one would suspect the transfiguration and potions teachers along with himself having departed.

Severus would have been more worried for Harry's well being, if the weeds at the front of the school hadn't kept growing steadily. Somehow they all new this meant that Harry was at least hanging in there, even if there had been no other contact. Severus had long given up putting any faith in a connection between the two of them, at least magically. Besides, he wasn't about to give up on the cat-child, he seemed far too stubborn to just roll over and take it.

With these thoughts in his head the potions master strolled out towards Dumbledore and McGonagall who were waiting outside the Three Broomsticks, with three broomsticks for their flight to London.

"Are we completely prepared Severus?" Albus asked in a cheerful manner.

"Yes, the wards are up and Poppy's ready for what we bring back." Minerva shot a swift glare at Severus for his use of language.

In unison the three mounted their brooms and took off, each going over the plan in their minds. Two were wondering what they would find. The other believed that he knew, but wisdom had failed him before, so he also kept an open mind to the possibilities as they zoomed towards the darkening horizon.

Harry had lost all sense of time as he lay staring at that same arched ceiling. The hour's days and seconds mulled into one another, as he lay chained to the great plus sign that he had seen in his vision.

Due to the bright light emitting from it everything he could see was bathed in a bright red. As if warning him off every object in the room. He was starting to believe that red was the only color left in the world. The tranquil green of the forest was drowned in the crimson. He had never been able to see the orb filled with 'air', but he could feel it catching on the edge of his thoughts.

He couldn't hear over the oppressing red, but when hi captor once again appeared over him he didn't so much as twitch. It was just another red object in his red environment.

"So how is my little tuner today? Still not ready to divulge your power to me eh? Well time grows short, and I grow bored." Harry blinked softly up at him. The once golden and blue figure in his mind showed himself to be at least at one with his surroundings if nothing else.

As the face disappeared Harry cast into his memory, as he had taken to doing, reaching further and further back in his mind. The time he had spent here had been a blur of pain and varying assaults on his magic. Lucifer, his captor, had ranted to Harry with much frustration that was evident in his posture alone, about the inaccessibility of the air in the orb.

It seems the blonde man had taken the magical capturing device with him on his travels, and had had an accident whilst exploring a mountainous region in Europe. All he could remember was the flash of pure light followed by blackness. When he had awoken he found a mysterious power trapped within the orb that he could not remove or obtain.

After months of research he had discovered the identity and attributes of the ancient magic, and how a tuner could access it. Only a few days after his magical sensors had detected Harry's dream walking. Lucifer had explained eagerly to Harry how he gives off enough magic that even during an apparition he could be detected by the sensors.

Since his arrival Lucifer had tried many different, and often painful ways of pulling Harry's magic into himself. No attempt had been successful; Harry's magic was too great to be broken through. But he was tiring, another few days like this and he'd be at least susceptible to having some of his magic lipo suctioned away.

His head pounded defiantly as Lucifer scrabbled with some documents in the background. Harry would have worried about what would happen, but the redness of the atmosphere seemed to slur his brain function. He felt heavy, as though he could barely lift an ear without fainting.

The red figure reappeared in Harry's vision.

"Now. One day you'll understand what it means to have an all-consuming desire. Why I have to do these things." Now Harry's slow motion brain was kicking into action. Lucifer was nervous, it was radiating off him in red waves. But what disturbed Harry more was the hint of sadistic excitement his voice.

Harry glanced around him. Strewn on the plus around him were various red objects and liquids. He glanced up; eyes wide and then squinted as he saw the sinisterly wide grin on Lucifer's face as he twirled his wand.

"You see, I've never seen anything the like of you. Your a hybrid of I can only assume your animagus. Now I've realized just how to provoke a reaction from you. We're going to rid you of these little appendages of yours." Harry cringed at the hysterical tone to his captor's voice. It hardly mattered that he couldn't understand all the words used, Lucifer's magic was practically screaming at him what he was planning to do. At these times Harry wished he wasn't it tune with others magic.

One moment Harry was scarily aware of everything in the room, the movement of air, the shadows rippling with unseen force, the blood pounding through both his and his captor's bodies. The next all he could feel was the prickling sensations at the base of his ears and tail as Lucifer begun incanting in a language Harry could understand without being able to translate.

Somewhere in the room an alarm went off. But neither of the figures noticed, both caught up in the magic transpiring, the objects, or bones, placed around Harry that begun to glow in turn as their anatomy was referred to. And the potion slowly tipping itself over to flood the plus Harry was on, mysteriously intensifying the crimson glow as it hissed malevolently.

The three figures from Hogwarts stopped inside the entrance of the Witch Tower. It had been too easy to get in, simply to be able to open the heavy oak doors, Snape was instantly suspicious.

"This cannot be as it seems." He hissed. As they stepped forward a shrill alarm went off and the three instantly drew their wands. After a time of nothing happening but the constant shrieking of the alarm, Dumbledore begun to move forwards once more.

"Maybe it is exactly as it seems Severus, for desire can do strange things to a man. Let us just hope that desire plays to our advantage this time." Dumbledore's voice was dark as he stepped forward into the reddening gloom. Severus and Minerva had no choice but to follow the mysterious old man, knowing that he wouldn't give up his secrecy anytime soon.

Harry was trapped in a world he no longer knew. He was full of feelings and empty of them all at once. All he knew for certain was the chanting in the back of his oppressed mind, and the disjointed feelings from his ears and tail. For some reason they felt wrong, unpleasant, like they didn't belong.

He could feel things crawling under his skin until a blinding hot pain splashed across his head and through his spine. Harry was only vaguely aware of crying out as he lost it. He wasn't going to lie down and take this, not when he could stop it.

The clarity that he could stop this attack was shocking. Harry wrenched his eyes open against the pain and the magic around him to look deep into the eyes above him. He saw the look of shock as he grinned, suddenly the eyes seemed blue again, defeatable. Harry felt a rush as he pushed out with his magic towards the figure above him.

Lucifer flew through the air to the other side of the room as Harry sat up. He felt blood trickling from his forehead, and had the impression of being off-balance as he stood up. He looked down to realize he had left his ears and tail on the plus behind him. This was no surprise really, as he had understood what was going on. However, he felt a strange surrealism and detachment as he briefly ran a hand over the tail.

In a moment he was past it though. This was what it was like now, so this was what he would work with. He snapped his gaze to the shocked but angry figure on the floor as it begun to stand up. Harry glanced up at the air orb and back at Lucifer.

Lucifer was not slow off the mark, and as Harry turned to the sphere muttered another incantation. Objects of all kinds round the room stood up or hovered threateningly in the air. Harry swallowed. He may have a lot of power, but when it came to the finesse that Severus, Albus, Minerva and Poppy had he was lost. He just hoped that the siren was a warning of their entry.

Otherwise, he would loose a lot more then the more feline aspects of his appearance.

::Cliffhanger! ish! thank you for the awesome reviews. This chapter is a two parter and then the first part of this story will end, and there will be a sequel... I honestly had no idea that this was how the story would develop so maybe it hasn't lived up to it's title, but there we go!::

::For those of you who miss the kitty! aspects, they may well be back. For those of you who don't... you kinda picked the wrong story hehe::

::Please let me know ya thoughts::

::shadowtheo::


	9. Chapter 9

::Thank you for the reviews! You've been much loved if you have reviewed...so please do it again haha!

::Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination.

Integration: 9 Air: 2

Harry gulped and bent into a springing position. The action was interrupted by a horrendous crash from the wall behind him.

Both the dark and light haired figures turned around to the source of the noise. The door had been blasted off its hinges and now lay on the floor, revealing a smoky entrance.

Three figures stalked into the room, followed by the calm and sure gait of a fourth.

The raven-haired boy let out a still feline, but now more human like grin.

"I think that you should consider surrendering yourself calmly, however as I doubt you will, be warned that we are prepared to fight." Dumbledore announced in a deadly calm voice.

Lucifer visibly paled in the red lighting. One erratically powered child, a problem, four accomplished wizards, that gets the blood running cold.

The four figures stepped forwards as Lucifer waved his wand, allowing the objects floating in suspended animation to whirl dangerously around the room.

In seconds Harry couldn't quite count the five and objects had begun a duel, magic shooting throughout the room like fireworks with deadly accuracy. Harry didn't wait to watch, the spare object rotated to point at him in the air before remaining poised in a threatening manner.

Harry glanced from the sharply pointed spears of sticks and stands on his right to the orb shining faintly at the top of the stairs. As his eyes passed over it, a brighter light escaped it momentarily before fading, the objects edged closer through the air.

Ignoring the chaos on the other side of the room Harry took a deep breath. Letting his eyes fall closed he focused on the green that coursed through him drawing it to the surface where it could just be seen as a green haze.

Crouching once more he gave a short grin before springing up and sprinting across the expanse of floor. Roots and vines erupted out of the ground at the boy's feet as he ran, growing and twisting in fierce ways to deflect the dive-bombing assault of the not so inanimate objects.

Harry's sprint was short and to the point as he leapt up the stairs with enhanced agility, the jungle that had grown miraculously glowed emerald as he reached out for the now brightly glowing orb.

"NO!" He heard Lucifer shout as Harry touched the orb, the light in the room reaching a nearly blinding point.

The glass cracked easily underneath his fingers and the light whirled sharply around him before fading completely.

The stillness in the room was nearly visible. Harry turned around to meet one calm, three anxious, and one horrified face. He smiled, Snape could see the genuine emotion behind it from even their distance.

"Ragh!" The pale man bellowed as he shot a crimson spell out of his wand. In the fleeting second or so before it reached, Harry pushed off from the ground and jumped as high as he could.

The spell was avoided, but Harry felt himself keep going upwards towards the ceiling. Realising that he wasn't just going to fall beck to earth with gravity, he managed to stop his assent before colliding with the roof.

Five pairs of eyes stared up at him with varying emotion; the clashing feelings were almost amusing to Harry from way up here. He turned in the air to a more comfortable position, and quickly realised elatedly that this was simple, he could do this. Flying was apparently natural for this cat.

The moment was short lived as Lucifer appeared upon one of the many high branches in a whoosh of bluish smoke. He grinned maniacally before letting a stream of colourful curses out of his wand.

Harry evaded the many blasts as he whirled and wheeled around the room speedily, Lucifer leaping from branch to branch beneath him. 'Come on Harry', Severus found himself thinking, silently cheering on the child.

"_Sectum__ Sempra!_" The spell cut through the air like a knife, Harry twisted to avoid it, but felt the whiplash hit him. The faintest of cuts seared across his cheek.

Harry paused momentarily in the air as he looked down, seeing large amounts of jet-black strands fall to the ground. Everyone seemed to be pausing as Harry softly ran a hand through his messy, and now effectively layered hair to feel it end just past his shoulder.

The steely cold-eyed glare could have killed as he stared down at the figure below him.

"Really want a piece of me don't you?" He muttered in an angrily lucid tone, the language managing to work itself out well for once.

He'd had just about enough of this. Not knowing if it would work, Harry decided to mimic the man's magic.

Raising his hand he focused his magic on the sound and feel of the words and spell. In one quick movement Harry sliced his arm through the air as a satisfying shiver announced the spike of nearly black green magic that raced at Lucifer.

The man managed to leap out of the way, but the curse still slashed his wand arm. The blonde cried out in agony as blood spurted dramatically from the wound.

It was nowhere near fatal, but as the man's eyes met Harry's, they held a new terror in them of what Harry had just succeeded in doing.

Severus stared at the scene above him amazed. He understood Harry's need for direction in using his magic, the fact that he had been able to form wand less magic into an actual formed spell, one he had never practiced or heard of, was incredible. The child now looked a little shocked and lost at his own spell, staring at his hands in disbelief.

"Harry!" He yelled, attracting the boy's attention. "_Expeliamus_" He aimed the spell a foot or so passed Harry, who felt it rush past and detach a rusty black copper chandelier from the ceiling.

Lucifer looked between the two in a panicky way. Harry focused on the new spell, finding it incredibly different and more appealing generally, it seemed to fit his magic seamlessly.

Harry flicked his hand faintly and felt the exhilarating shiver of magic as the wand flew immediately out of Lucifer's hand as he fell backwards to the ground with the force. The man disappeared in a whirl of smoke seconds before he hit, and didn't return. Snape caught the wand flawlessly as he smirked appreciatively up at Harry.

Somehow he had know that was the right spell for the child, essentially harmless but potentially deadly to the situation when used correctly. An underestimated spell for an underestimated child.

Harry dived down to the floor, up righting himself just before stepping lightly onto the floor. Any reunions were put on hold however by an unhealthy rumbling sound from the roof, followed by the falling of some dust and small fragments of stone.

"I think that that is our signal don't you?" Dumbledore said, smiling at Harry as the blue eyes twinkled with mirth and pride. Harry grinned back in a way that Poppy found adorable, but would never admit it out loud.

The five then dashed to the door and the outside as the stones fell down, hiding any trace of what had occurred here, letting the world forget it for all eternity. The only memories of that day would be just that, memories.

That evening Severus and Harry stood on the astronomy tower, where they were watching the world go by. Severus never usually found solace in such an activity, preferring to busy himself with potions and solitude.

However, for once he had found the dark dankness of his dungeons intrusive and unhelpful, and had found Harry equally restless in the hospital wing. The child was not one to be contained it seemed. The natural movement around them was at least semi relaxing in face of the events that had happened, and the chaos that would surely return to the school within two days, otherwise known as children.

Severus shuddered at the thought of incompetence once more gracing the castle with its looming presence. He could almost feel the migraine already, but he wasn't going to dwell on it, he had some questions that wanted answering.

"So just how did you become an animagus?" He questioned with out any sarcasm in his voice.

"Don't know really." Harry begun, picking at a seam on his sleeve, the power of air he had absorbed seemed to have improved his speech impediment somewhat. Although he still hadn't spoken much.

"I found a book." He added softly, as if lost in the past. At Severus's questioning silence he continued. "In the small place before the cold place."

'So at his relative's then.' Snape added for his own benefit.

"It looked different so I opened it." He rubbed his head around the scar faintly. "There was some light and then I was a cat, although I didn't realise it until the thin one screamed at me." Severus didn't interrupt the story, letting it sink in and fill in the gaps.

"I was left outside until I turned back, I don't think they knew I was the cat." He added as an after thought, looking over to the forest.

"It was easier being a cat in the cold place, but that was only the second time I'd done it and the green got confused after because I did it for so long." So his magic hadn't been able to fully separate the DNA, probably due to having the incantation sprung upon him rather then performing the spell by himself.

As best as Severus could work out, Potter must have left the book there, maybe in league with his friends as a joke. It was probably one of the only time's he'd been at that magic hating house.

It was just the sort of thing that Potter would do, leave an enchanted book for the fat son to find and be transformed by, it would have caused havoc for the family.

"Do you remember before the small place?" Severus asked conversationally, curios about how much the child remembered about his past.

"No."

"Do you remember your parents at all?" After a pause Harry replied the question.

"I don't have any now do I?" He didn't sound sad or even resigned, just as if he was clarifying the fact.

"_They_ said they died in a car crash." Harry frowned after he said this before continuing.

"I don't think I believe them, but all I remember is green and screaming." He shuddered. Severus realized he must have remembered this at the hands of the dementors. Neither added onto that conversation, it was clarifying for the both of them.

"Do you want to learn how to use magic?" Severus asked at length.

"Yeah, I think I do. I think I'm supposed to." Severus nodded and nearly smiled, he didn't really know why.

He and Harry shared a brief glance before the potions master gestured for them to leave.

"Poppy will go spare if I don't return you soon." He announced and they left, Harry smiling softly.

Maybe this year would be more interesting then before, Severus thought as he returned to the dungeons, once more content with the darkness that surrounded him.

::The first part of this story in now done! Yay!

::HOWEVER! If you guys want me to continue then you _have_ to review, I'm actually pleased with this chapter so if there is good response I will probably write quicker then I have been, but only you can assure that, just click that beautiful little button so that I'm happy enough to write again soon! If you're really good I'll try to have it up by next week!

::Also as Hogwarts is now beginning, let me know whom you want Harry to make friends with, for instance should I make Draco be friend or foe? There will not be any romance, certainly not yet anyway.

::In the next part of the story Harry will gain more elements and some certain appendages will make a reappearance, let me know if you want the cat aspects back by the way!

::Thank you for reading, shadowtheo.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination.

PLEASE READ!

For the fifth (would be) year at Hogwarts, some things will be the same and some things will be different, I shall explain as the story goes on why a is the same and b is different (if you know what I mean) but feel free to ask me any questions on why I did certain things, because things like friendship groups probably wont be explained, ect.

Also, I am sorry for Ron and co in this story, I do like him, this is just the way I saw things going if Harry hadn't been there, and I thought it would be interesting to change things and make a different, maybe slightly darker Hogwarts.

P.S. The use of _Expelliamus_ in the last chapter was my personal tribute to J.K and the final book, cause quite frankly, no one could have done it better then she did. On with the show!

Integration: 10

The noise in the great hall was almost painful to professor Snape, and he had to refrain from pinching the bridge of his nose. However, at least he had something more interesting then professor Tralawny's dire conversation to occupy his focus tonight.

Tonight, the day all the students arrived via train and immediately begun talking, even the first years that should have been petrified, seemed aggravatingly talkative this year. It was if they were doing it to personally spite him, and he wouldn't be surprised if that were true.

However, most of his attention was taken up by one certain figure that had been sorted into Gryffindor, not tonight, but the one before.

Felix Smith sat looking lost in the middle of the table, every now and then he would glance up at Snape with a panicked look clearly saying 'help me', 'get me out of here' or 'why do they talk and hug so much?'

If it weren't for the fact that at times the child clearly looked distressed, it would be downright funny. He would love to see the student's faces if they realised that the kid they were both drowning in questions and systematically ignoring was none other then Harry Potter, who's official funeral had taken place not long ago.

Yes, then he would laugh. As it was though, he was occupied by 'Felix's' horrified and terrified look as one of the girls grabbed him into a hug (Lavender was it?), after he answered her question.

"Yeah mate, I know how you feel." A violently red-haired boy sympathised at Harry/Felix's shocked expression after the attack.

The boy was eating as if there was no tomorrow, a bushy haired girl down the table glared at him with a hurtful expression, not that the boy noticed.

"Yeah, you'll have to watch the girls here, they'll think that anything that blinks is adorable." A boy whose name was Dean added. The redhead was called Ron, and the third in the 'golden' trio as they seemed to call themselves, Harry assumed as some kind of joke, was named Saemus.

The scary Lavender was next to Harry and her equally scary friend Parvatti. On Harry's other side was a boy who seemed just as nervous as himself called Neville. He looked like this was the last place on earth he wanted to be, and Harry had only found out his name when Ron had called him by it, saying it was rude not to introduce himself.

Beyond Neville was the bushy-haired girl, who turned out to be a prefect along with Dean, although Harry didn't quite understand the concept. Her name was Hermione; she had introduced herself first but then returned her attention to a book she had brought with her when the others in their year turned up.

Harry was beyond confused; he wasn't able to concentrate on what people were saying or asking, whether to him or someone else, because of the level of noise and activity.

In fact he had developed what he remembered was a headache, he was sure he'd never had one that centered on his scar though.

The coal black eyes of Snape offered at least a grounding point in all the madness.

"Oh, you wondering who that is?" Ron questioned as he caught where Harry was looking. Harry shrugged; it's what everyone around him seemed to do when they were unsure, so he was doing it a lot.

"Well that's Snape, meanest git in the business, man someday I wish he'd just flap off like the great overgrown bat he is." The others nodded, and then carried on with the seemingly never-ending tirade of his traits.

Harry was shocked and confused, but there was real bitterness and anger coming from these people, he wondered if they weren't a little at fault too. After all, it takes two people to make a fight.

They begun on how torturous potions was, and how difficult and boring he made it, how he evidently didn't want them to be able to do it.

"I swear he's against us, from day one as well! Never gave us a chance." Ron said to the solemn nods of the other two, he seemed to lap up the attention.

"Did you ever try?" Harry questioned in a slightly cold tone. The fifth years around him all stopped. Hermione had just been opening her mouth when Harry spoke; she was regarding him appraisingly, and with a hint of pride? Happiness? It was somewhere between the two.

Neville looked shocked to the core and ready to flee, the rest were a mixture of appalled and scandalized. After a pause, Ron managed to catch himself.

"Listen here Felix mate, I didn't much like your attitude about that, but because you're new and don't know any better, I'm gonna let it slip. Alright?" Harry sort of shrugged, what was the big deal? This didn't seem to entirely soothe the wounded ego of Ron, but it ended the conversation.

Harry was ignored for the rest of dinner by all but Hermione, who kept shooting him glances as if she were trying to size him up.

He didn't take offense from being ignored, in fact, it was quite peaceful, even if the not so subtle stares, glares, and overall feeling of dislike he was picking up on, didn't quite make the perfect backing music.

Once everyone had finished eating Dumbledore made a speech, and introduced the new defense teacher as Professor Dolores Umbridge. Harry immediately picked up on Severus and Minerva's distrustful feelings and a sneaky sort of smugness from Umbridge. Dumbledore was impossible to pick up on as usual, any emotion masked by his perfected blanket of calm.

A large teacher, apparently the defense against the dark arts one slipped out of the misery he had been projecting all evening and into a suspicious one.

The feel of those around him told Harry more about what the person was saying in her speech then her words did. He was interested in the suddenly comprehending feel Hermione gave off; where as the rest of the fifth years were confused.

After that everyone filed out to go to dinner, Harry meekly followed the others in his year. He couldn't scratch the feeling of eyes on him, of slight malevolence. But every time he looked around there was no one there.

All at once someone grabbed him and pulled him behind a tapestry.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed at the shock, he must have picked up on some of the language he had heard around him. He spun around expecting to see the source of his unease, but instead found an anxious Hermione.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to say that I thought what you said in dinner was really great." She said all in one breath. Harry was surprised that he managed to understand every word of it. He soon realised that she was expecting some kind of answer from him.

"Um, thanks." He muttered, self consciously pulling his bangs further down his face to make sure the telltale scar was hidden.

Hermione beamed, it was totally genuine, unlike the ones he'd seen from Parvatti and Lavender earlier, even if her teeth were slightly crooked.

"You're welcome, Felix." Harry smiled back, the new name wasn't strange to him, he'd barely known the old one after all, and names were only face value to him. Although he'd been told to not tell anyone his real name, because of what it would mean to him.

Last night Dumbledore had told him the true story of what had happened to his parents, Voldemort and all. The name managed to link itself with the malevolent feeling Harry had witnessed. Suddenly the corridor they were in felt cold.

"Come on." Hermione said, although by the caution in her voice he could tell that she had felt the cold too, they shuddered. "We'd better get to the dormitories, after all, we wouldn't want to be late for school."

They excited the corridor as she spoke, and the second part of her sentence had a slight smile to it. They passed the rest of the trip in a compatible silence.

Harry stepped quietly into the dorm room Hermione had directed him to. As soon as the door closed the golden trio looked up to stare at him, Neville looked up nervously from his fake sleep.

"Is this one mine?" Harry questioned in a politely dead voice as he gestured to the spare bed.

"Hey, Felix. Do you wanna no why we're called the golden trio around here?" It wasn't really a question, but Harry graced them with at least a glance in their direction.

"It's because, not only are we the most popular here, but we don't take any crap from anyone. Slytherins or Gryffindors, we keep the order around here." Ron stated smugly, Dean seemed to be brandishing his prefect badge with extra flourish.

"Okay. So you think you're gold." Harry added quietly to himself, as if to clarify.

"Hey, we don't have to think it, everyone else does that for us."

"Worshiping Adonis." Harry said looking Ron directly in the eyes. The redhead shiverred so slightly that only Harry could notice it, at his penetratingly deathly stare.

"Adonis?" Seamus half asked in a mocking tone.

"A golden boy that was favored by the gods." Neville spilled quickly, giving up on his fake sleep and shifting his eyes around to see if he had angered anyone.

"Yeah, and what's that mean then cat-boy." Harry could have laughed at the appropriateness of the term.

"Nothing." He answered shortly as he got into bed and drew the curtain shut in a calm way before trying to sleep.

The whispers from the three boys seemed to be undecided between dislike and curiosity. Harry paid them no mind as he drifted off, dreams full of shadows and hissing as a storm raged outside the magical castle.

The first lesson after an uncomftorble breakfast was transfiguration. Harry was in the fifth year classes so as to not raise suspicion, but would also have to, secretly, take make up classes.

Harry didn't think that he minded that, magic fascinated him in all its forms, and he was eager to learn how to use it properly.

Professor McGonagall had begun by explaining the importance of OWLs and then began the theory of vanishing kittens. Kittens had more complex systems and were larger then what they had previously vanished apparently.

Harry listened, but didn't really understand what she was saying. Hermione, who he was sitting next to, was listening raptly and nodding eagerly. Harry noticed the golden trio next to them mimicking her cruelly.

The kittens were handed around, one for each person of course, and much squealing ensued. Harry's kitten was ginger striped and kept tripping over its paws before mewing at him in a pleading way. Harry nearly jumped out of his seat when he found he could understand what it was saying.

"Play with me!" It half pleaded, half demanded with large eyes. Harry smiled and scratched its head, much to the kitten's delight, as it purred loudly.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be vanishing it." Hermione hissed as McGonagall moved slowly around the classroom. The grey tabby of Hermione's batted her wand in an annoyed way.

"Stop telling them what to do! You're supposed to be focusing on me! I'm _bored_!" The kitten mewed as well as moving her body to convey the message to the ignorant Hermione.

Harry laughed in the kitten's direction and stroked its chin to much appreciation, as well as trailing his sleeve along the table for his kitten to chase.

"Stop playing and work!" Hermione commanded, although there was a light in her eyes that matched the twitch in the corner of her mouth.

"Why are you poking me? Sod you, I'm going over there." Harry heard in mew talk (roughly) and suddenly a brown-stripped fur ball landed in Harry's lap and promptly curled up, going to sleep.

Ron looked over, flabbergasted that his kitten had run, then even more so as the black and white kittens of Dean and Seamus' dashed over and leapt onto Harry's table as well.

Soon the whole lesson fell apart as Harry and Hermione's table was bombarded with the four remaining fur balls. Miraculously almost, Harry managed to keep them all happy and entertained.

The entire classroom was giving them shocked glances, Hermione was laughing beside him as she played with some of the cats as well. The genuine mirth in her eyes had rarely if ever been witnessed by anyone.

"What, Mr. Smith, is going on here?" Harry glanced up to see the towering figure of McGonagall above him.

"They're happy now though?" Harry asked and all the hurt of the world seemed to shine in those emerald eyes at the thought of the kittens being unhappy, lonely and miserable. Minerva could barely stand the gaze, but managed to break the stare as Ron piped up.

"The guy's borderline simpleton!" He whisper talked to the grins and nods of the other two.

"No he isn't!" Hermione retorted angrily, for tears of hurt shining in her own eyes at the release of emotions she had allowed herself.

"That is enough everyone! Mr. Smith, I will personally see to it that you can keep all of these kittens if you can produce what I deem at least a half descent vanishing spell on your first try." Minerva wasn't betting either way with how this would go, but she was curious how well the boy could perform with the correct motivation.

"Use me!"

"No me!"

"I don't want to leave!"

"I'll stay with you!"

"She can't take us!"

"Use me!"

"Oh me pick me!"

"We can take her!"

"Hey, do the best you can, trust magic." All the kittens' mewed at once, but it was the final comment from the original ginger kitten that Harry heard most.

Harry put his hand down for the kitten to pounce onto and held it up off the desk, removing the wand he had received yesterday. (And that had been a confusing one, what with the fact it was the brother of his would-be-murderer's wand, that and the general concept of 'wands', that not only honed your magic, but also dulled it slightly.)

Harry concentrated on the feeling of vanishing, the wand movement of the incantation, and how it had seemed when McGonagall had done it. Then he concentrated on the kitten, and all that it seemed to be and hold. Finally he put the two together in the act of the spell masking the kitten's appearance and presence, rendering it invisible.

Harry moved his wand over the kitten in the way McGonagall had done earlier, before touching it to the kitten's head.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the kitten gradually begun to disappear, as if invisible water was trickling down and concealing it.

McGonagall and the class looked on, the class with astonishment and the teacher critically as the kitten faded to leave only a swishing tail and a few stripes.

"Well Mr. Smith, it seems the cats are yours."

::See, reviews _do_ make me write faster! Thank you for all of them!

::This story always surprises me hehe, the next chapter should be longer/have a longer day span. But I think this will do for now, more soon if you write lots of reviews!

::I aim to have both Malfoy and Fred & George make an appearance next time, along with more Snape!

::Let me know what you thought of the characters and who else you would like to see.

::Thanks for reading, shadowtheo.


	11. Chapter 11

Mwahaha! Bet you didn't think I'd be back did ya! I am soooooo sorry for the appalling length of time I left this story, but I became uninspired, but now I've re-read it (shudder!) and corrected the first chapter (which was scary bad!) and I'm feeling good, so lets go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination

Integration: 11

It was to much miserable mewing that Harry left transfiguration with Hermione, seemingly none of the kittens had wanted him to leave. But Minerva had promised he would see them at the end of his school day, so he wasn't too depressed. In fact they were heading to an equally interesting sounding class. Care of magical Creatures.

"You know, it was almost as if you could…_understand_ those cats..." Hermione trailed off curiously.

"Well one mangy cat probably _would _be able to understand another. Its about the only thing he probably _can_ understand." Ron commented maliciously as Dean and Seamus cackled.

"Well at least he _managed_ to vanish _most_ of his cat, I notice you couldn't even do the whiskers!" Hermione retorted shrilly. The golden trio looked at her as if they'd never seen her before. Harry felt the air hot with anger and unspoken feelings. Humans were so _weird_.

::1234567::

In a couple of minutes the class was crowded around a sort of hut, the huge care of magical creatures' teacher smiling at them nervously. Harry was immediately disposed to liking this, as he perceived, gentle giant. He had a nervous enthusiasm, and he couldn't sense a single malicious thought.

"Got a great lesson planned for you today-"

"As long as it isn't skrewts or flobberworms again." Ron muttered to the furtive nodding of most of the class, Hermione turned pink and glared at the floor, a tirade of emotions rushing over her.

"For once Weasley, I think I actually agree with you." Came a snide voice. The assorted class whipped around to see a blonde boy heading another group of students.

"Slytherins." Dean announced darkly, Ron scowled whilst the leading blonde smirked.

"Now everyone," Begun the teacher apprehensively. "Let's head off, quickly now." With that he turned and strolled off, the class following him with varying degrees of nerves as they were led to the edge of the forest.

Harry managed to get as close to the trees as he could, the forest waved its branches welcomingly, and he uttered a soft warning 'shush' to stop the grass trying to grow around his feet in its excitement. Hermione looked at him in a puzzled way.

By this time their teacher had placed a large raw slab of meat on the ground and then proceeded to let out an unnerving sort of scream. Harry felt his hair stand slightly on end as he registered the scream as a summoning greeting.

After several tense minutes, a twig near Harry snapped, causing Neville to jump about two feet in the air.

A skeletal horse stepped out of the shadow. Revealing its white, staring eyes and folded up leathery wings.

Harry gaped as gradually more of these strangely majestic creatures gathered around the meat. However, he seemed to be one of the select few that were actually looking the right way.

Many of the class were still staring into the depths of the forest, and there were only a couple of people looking directly at the horses.

"Thestrals!" Hagrid announced proudly. Hermione let out a breath of understanding, whilst the Draco boy and some of the others backed away slightly, looking uncertain.

"Now hands up if you can see 'em!" Hagrid ordered pleasantly. Harry along with a couple of other students raised tentative arms.

The giant man looked around slightly sadly.

"That many of you eh?" Hagrid's eyes swept over Harry, and he seemed to nearly do a double take. Nervously he flattened his bangs over the scar that so far remained hidden, the large teacher looked like he had seen a ghost and the rest of the class were beginning to stare at the two of them suspiciously.

Several leaves took that moment to fly into Hagrid's face and he blinked, giving Harry one last glance before turning back to the thestrals and beginning the lesson.

Harry sighed in relief, and sent a miniscule wave of thanks to the forest for the distraction, once again the grass tried to grow around his feet in happiness.

He turned slightly to see Hermione looking at him curiously before turning her rapt attention to the teacher. Others in the class however, were still glancing at him and whispering. The golden trio evidently couldn't see the thestrals, and therefore thought Harry a much more amusing discussion topic, the blonde slytherin also seemed to be casting him suspicious glances.

The lesson eventually ground to an end, Harry and Hermione having been two of the few that remained attentive to the end, and Hagrid seemed to finally realize this with a saddened look.

Harry glared around at the class that left the second the bell rang to go to lunch.

"I'm sorry Hagrid, I thought the thestrals were fascinating really!" Hermione insisted, patting the large figure on the arm. Hagrid nodded glumly and turned to the two remaining thestrals.

"Come on Felix, we'd better get to lunch." Hermione added. Harry cast a last glance at Hagrid before turning, only to find a grip on his sleeve preventing him from leaving.

Both he and Hagrid spun around to see one of the thestrals gently holding onto his arm.

"What's going on?" Came Hermione's concerned voice, all she could see was Harry's sleeve being held by an invisible force.

"Now don't you worry, like I said I've got these thestrals highly trained, wouldn't hurt a fly." Hagrid assured in a slightly worried tone.

Harry personally doubted the giant creatures would blink about hurting a fly, but they at least didn't seem to want to harm him.

The air around them turned from a slight breeze to a howling sort of sound. Dark, ominous clouds beginning to grace the sky.

Hermione squeaked as there was a thunderclap above them.

Harry turned from the sky overhead to the deep milky eyes of the thestral that was holding him, by now the other one had moved very close to him as well, and he could see several pairs of blank white eyes staring at him from the forest's depths. The grass begun to weave around his ankles slightly.

The familiar deep green hum of the forest was telling him hat this was important, to listen.

The air that whipped around him and through him was saying the same thing; nudging his mind towards the meaning those pure white eyes were trying to give.

Hermione and Hagrid were looking on in confusion, aware somehow to not intervene.

Staring back into the fathomless eyes, Harry gently reached out with his own magic washing it over and around the two thestrals, extending waves of it to wash through the ones hidden in the gloom.

Gradually, the subtle movements of the thestrals began to form a pattern, the pattern begun to hold a meaning.

"Be careful little one, _the snake_ is coming. _The snake_ is coming, be careful." The thoughts and movements of the thestrals repeated this mantra, and Harry felt shivers run down his spine.

After the message repeated a couple more times and then fell silent, Harry realized they were waiting for some sort of reply.

With an almost imperceptible twitch of his head to the left, whilst maintaining eye contact, Harry seemed to manage to convey 'be careful' back to the waiting creatures.

With a flick of an ear and tail his sleeve was released and the thestrals trotted away. Harry withdrew his own magic and the grass shrunk from his feet, the skeletal creatures disappearing back into the mysteries of the forest.

"Wh-what?" Hermione questioned weakly, words failing her. Hagrid seemed equally unsure as he stared at Harry, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Y-you'd best be getting back to the castle, the weathers turning foul." Hagrid stated, but he remained staring at them until they reached the castle doors.

"Why do I get the feeling you're keeping secrets?" Hermione questioned suspiciously.

"Well, you're keeping some too I'll bet." Harry replied as casually as he could. Luckily this seemed to abate Hermione for the moment, as she smiled and led the way to the hall.

Harry made a mental note to ask the forest and air to be more discreet in future, and preferably wait till they were alone to give him creepy and ominous warnings.

::1234567::

The remainder of the school day passed fairly seamlessly, double charms followed by double history of magic.

Harry had enjoyed charms, although he hadn't been nearly as accomplished at it as he had been transfiguration. The 'golden trio' had made snide comments about how he could only perform magic when he had cats to tell him the answer. Hermione had scowled at them, but Harry tried to ignore it. He couldn't understand _why_ these humans were so keen to start fights and hate certain people; it gave him a headache where his cat ears used to be.

History of magic had been nice and peaceful, if only because half the class was asleep, Harry found he nearly was too after half an hour, Hermione seemed to be the only person immune to Professor Binns' sleeping spell.

As the class left, yawning widely, McGonagall stepped in front of Harry and Hermione.

"This way please Mr. Smith, and you too Miss Granger if you want." They glanced apprehensively at each other, but Harry could sense no real anger from Minerva's brief manner.

Up through hidden staircases and along dark corridors they went until they ended up in a corridor that must have been at the top of the school.

A blood red sunset colored the passage a deep crimson through the large, clear glass windows that framed it on both sides.

Other then the stairs, the long corridor led only to a single door at the end.

"Oh wow, I never knew you could get this high up in the castle, I didn't think students were allowed up here!" Hermione announced excitedly.

"They usually aren't, but we've made an exception for you Mr. Smith, and miss Granger too apparently." Given the stiffness of her tone Harry realized that she was not too keen with the idea. Hermione seemed humbled, but curious as well.

"Here we are then," Minerva sighed as she reached the door and pulled it open. Harry and Hermione entered, and were at once assaulted by nine mewing balls of fluff.

"I didn't think you would really be able to keep them!" Hermione exclaimed in delight as several kittens played with her laces.

"Yes well Professor Dumbledore seemed to believe that as these kittens seemed to take a special interest in you, it must have been for some higher purpose. And they couldn't all live in the dormitory with you as there are simply too many of them."

McGonagall sighed as she saw the kittens and two students in harmony; surely this amount of leniency was going to raise suspicions, especially with the new defense against the dark arts teacher.

Dumbledore had been insistent however, that any particular connection Harry showed at this stage could be crucial for them later on, and should be preserved, although she didn't quite see what he had meant by it.

But looking at the brilliant but usually lonely girl that she taught, sitting happily with a friend and kittens, and seeing the abandoned child that they were trying to help smiling and behaving almost like an average student, she couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore might also have a more sentimental reason for allowing this.

"The kittens are still going to be used in transfiguration and other classes, but they will be yours to take care of, you can get food for them from the kitchen."

Seeing her words barely registering she sighed and left, but couldn't help the slight smile that escaped her.

"Its really very kind of them to let you keep all of them." Hermione stated, a smile on her face.

Harry glanced at her, sensing an almost overwhelming happiness coming from her, if he concentrated he could see the purple outline of her magic pulsing around her with the emotion, it seemed to shine brighter in the setting sun.

He smiled softly, she was probably unaware of the color of her magic, or that it seemed to pulse gently in synchronization with her breathing. He wondered if anyone but him could see magic like this.

Eventually they had to leave the kittens, as Harry had to go to a catch up class and Hermione wanted to get an early start on her work. The sun had nearly set as they left the room; now full of sleeping kittens, and the last dying rays of crimson highlighted them as they walked back down the corridor.

::1234567::

Harry stretched as he moved out of the transfiguration classroom. Three hours of various complex transformation spells had his magic nearly worn out from all the intricacies of it. But at least the wand he now had helped to focus his magic, especially as he didn't think Minerva would be pleased if he lost control and begun growing weeds all over her classroom.

Yawning widely he traipsed off towards Gryffindor tower, slightly dreading seeing the ever-aggravating golden trio.

Just as he passed a particularly tattered tapestry however, his plans of sleeping were interrupted by two redheads bowling onto him from behind the tapestry.

In a heap the three figures tumbled to the floor of the thankfully carpeted corridor. The two strangers sat up rubbing various bruises and stared curiously down at him with identical grins.

"Sorry about that, George here was simply dying to meet you!"

"Ah yes, but thanks to Fred here falling over his own eagerness we nearly _did_ die trying!"

Harry merely blinked, he couldn't quite understand what the fast talking duo had just said, but he couldn't help but smile slightly in confused amusement.

A hand was extended to help him to his feet, and then they stood facing each other.

"We hear that our irksome younger brother has been bothering you with his ego." The first one stated. But at Harry's confused look the other stepped in.

"We're Ron's older brothers, well two of them, Fred," He indicated the first twin, "and I'm George, pleasure to meet you."

Bemusedly he shook the two hands that were offered to him.

"We apologize sincerely for our imbecilic brother's behaviour, however, I fear that we cannot do much to prevent this, gone are the days that little ronnikins listens to us after all." Fred announced in a theatrical voice whilst George nodded in grim agreement.

Harry laughed and the twins grinned in appreciation.

"Not much of a talker are you, Felix is it? But no matter, we like a captive audience don't we George?"

"Indeed we do Fred. Now lets get back to the tower before Filch decides we're breathing too loudly." The last sentence was spoke in a mutinous voice, but Harry still laughed and the twins grinned accordingly.

Harry was confused by the sudden appearance of the two jokers, but nothing felt sinister about them, in fact, they projected a manic excitement and elatedness when talking to him, which although further confused him, seemed slightly infectious.

As they walked along however, the twins keeping up a monologue that kept Harry laughing, he noted a sudden sadness in them as they shared a glance after he laughed. For the life of him though, he couldn't have worked out why.

::Whew wow, I didn't expect to be writing this again, but I'm glad I am!

Oookay, I just re-read this story…and its fairly terrible in places! Its very badly written and jumps a lot, I'm going to try to write it better from now on, cos it was scary reading it back! This chapters still quite bad too I think, but I tried, and please let me know if I managed to do the characters right, and if not be critical not cruel please! And to clarify some things about the story line now he's back at school:

Ron _will_ become a friend eventually, I know that a lot of people don't like him, but I don't think Harry could have managed without him as a friend and I think he's a very well written character as he has lots of faults and that's hard to do to your own character, so if you're a Ron hater, then I'm sorry, but too bad hehe.

Neville is not a bad person, but he's never managed to make solid friends so he's very timid still and unsure, but he Harry and Hermione will become friends, along with the twins (who I hope I managed to write ok!).

Draco will also become a friend somehow…I think, but he too at the moment is a cowardly sort of bully, especially as, if you follow the timeline, his dad gets imprisoned at the end of this book, therefore Draco is still living safe and sound in his own screwed morals, but don't worry, he'll get a reality check :). Psst is it actually in the book that he's Snape's godson? I don't think I'll do that, but Snape will certainly be a family friend type person, so they will know each other outside school.

Voldermort (shudder!) is not reincarnated, but he shall be in the story, cos we love him really (or love to hate him). Quirrel was thwarted in his attempts to steal the stone by Dumbledore working it out or something, so they are aware of the threat of Voldemort without him actually being at large, the diary never happened (but probably exists), Sirius never escaped so Peter is still at Hogwarts, the Tri-wizard tournament…well you can decide whether it happened or not, but no one died, as Voldemort had no way/reason to interfere, but the death eater march at the world cup still took place I reckon, the real Moody taught last year as crouch either didn't escape/is still trying to find Volde…whew.

If I've forgotten stuff please ask and I shall try to answer (unless it's a mystery hehe). Also, I have gone through and corrected and slightly changed the first chapter so its now legible! Feel free to check it out!

Oh yeah, finally hehe, _please_ send me any ideas for things to happen in the school, or bits you liked in particular from the fifth book as its been a while since I read it, and although I get the gist, I don't want to run out of ideas! Snape _will_ appear next chapter, should be more Draco too I think, and please let me know if it's all ok, especially how Harry can see magic/read emotions.

::Thanks for reading! shadowtheo.


	12. Chapter 12

Woop! I'm back again! Ehehe sorry for the wait!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination.

Integration 12: Fights and Frights

The Gryffindor common room was crowded and noisy, full of screaming girls and laughing boys, magic of every sort flying in every direction, emotions running wild and generally a barely contained chaos.

Harry hated it. He couldn't focus through the constant assault on his senses. For although his cat ears were gone, he still seemed to have better hearing then half the people in the room, or maybe they were just conditioned to it. He wished that he could just leap out the window and fly away, but even though he felt a strange pull calling him to fix things, he still had to do homework.

The scar that he'd never really noticed before on his head was prickling uncomfortably as he stared at words he barely understood, trying to concentrate.

Hermione had already finished, and he would have worked in his dormitory, but the golden trio were plotting something up there, and he had no desire to be in the same room as them longer then necessary.

Someone knocked into the chair he was in, jolting him so that he nearly fell out. A barely contained growl escaped him, and the girl eyed him fearfully and edged away.

At first he had been curious and even a bit excited about learning magic and meeting new people. Now he had swiftly realised that although he couldn't say that he hated people, he hated crowds of them.

He wished he could be back with the kittens, or just sitting quietly with Severus. He had never been exposed to this many people, and it was becoming a bit too much.

The most oppressing thing was the strange sense that everyone in the room, even the castle, was masking some grave fear.

He wasn't even sure that they knew what they were afraid of; it was as if their magic was reaching out to try and find some way to protect itself. Harry wasn't sure that he could name the feeling, but it seemed as though all magic had a level of intuitivism that only some people could connect with, but subconsciously they all felt the same unease.

Harry thought it must have to do with the ominous warning of the thestrals, or the centaurs telling him to bring all of the seven powers together.

But he only had two, and couldn't begin to see how he would find the others.

Another person knocked into his chair, dragging him out of his thoughts. Everything he could sense, some of it just on the edge of his mind, was screaming at him or whispering to him. _Its dangerous, it's coming, they're not safe here and they know it, run, find them, help them, save them._

As if the homework wasn't bad enough, he had to fight his instinct to do something about, well, everything.

Eventually the common room cleared, and Harry decided that since Neville had gone to the dormitory, it would be safe for him to do the same, the castle was as safe as anywhere else, and he didn't even know where to start looking for the other powers.

He sighed, for now, he should really learn how to control his magic anyway.

::1234567::

Harry and Hermione entered the defence against the dark arts classroom with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

Once the class had taken their seats, a squat, frumpy witch dressed in the most hideous shade of pink Harry thought was possible, took a stand at the front of the class.

She observed them calculatingly with a sickly sweet smile before beginning the lesson.

"There will be no need to talk…" She began, and went on in much the same way, explaining how they would study theory, and they would not need their wands.

Quite understandably, Harry thought, the class seemed outraged, even Ron voiced his opinions about the need to be prepared, it seemed that their last defence teacher had left a big impression on all of them. Hermione seemed as surprised as he did however, about Ron sounding rational.

"We've been taught that we should be prepared-" He begun, but Umbridge seemed to realise that anarchy was springing up around her, and swiftly interrupted.

"What on earth would children like you need to be prepared for?" The sickly sweet voice questioned with deadly warning.

"Who would want to attack children like you?" She gazed around expectantly. Nobody in the class seemed able to answer her with a specific threat. Hermione looked away, her eyes bright with frustration.

Harry felt that this confirmed that deep down the school felt a threat as much as he did, but simply couldn't think what it was that gave them the feeling.

"The snake!" Harry blurted out, and the class turned to stare at him. There was a strange look in Ron's eyes he noticed, was it amusement?

"I beg your pardon Mr. Smith?" Umbridge questioned in shock.

"Snakes might attack us…" Harry trailed off, realising how ridiculous that sounded, '_the snake_' that the thestrals talked of and 'snakes', weren't the same thing, but he had had to say something to comfort the unnamed fear in his classmates' eyes.

Harry flushed at Umbridge's infuriated look, but the class around him was snickering into their books or hands, Hermione looked downright horrified that he had, in her eyes, offended a teacher, but Ron was looking at him appraisingly along with amusement.

It took Harry a while to realise the most of the class was laughing _with_ him, not _at _him. It was nice.

Umbridge however, was not impressed.

"Count yourself lucky Mr. Smith that your busy academic schedule keeps me from placing you in detention immediately, but as soon as I can arrange it, you _will_ be punished for your lack of respect to your betters!" Umbridge practically shrieked at him.

The toad like woman took a deep breath and shook herself slightly as she saw the class looking slightly afraid of her manic outburst.

"Wands away students, read chapters one and two by the end of the lesson."

::1234567::

For the rest of the day the class seemed to gravitate around Harry as if in a new sense of camaraderie.

Hermione evidently didn't relish the extra attention, or the amount of people getting in her way as she tried to move from class to class. Harry wasn't too keen on it either, but they didn't seem to want to talk too much to him at least, just get a measure of him.

At least the golden trio were keeping their distance, although Ron's gaze did seem rather more curious then hostile, for which Harry was glad.

Herbology turned out to be good, and although Harry had no real interest in the teacher's instructions, he enjoyed being with the plants. Hermione seemed frustrated by the ease at which he dealt with re-potting some dragon snaps, not getting bitten once. Few other people managed this he noted, only Neville seemed to have a real aptitude for the subject, after all, Harry _was_ cheating. He did have plant affinity on his hands, and doubted he'd be unscathed without having told the dragon snaps they were moving to a better place.

Lunch had a more pleasant atmosphere then before, but if possible it was louder, which gave Harry a headache. This didn't make him too miserable though, because after lunch they had potions, and Harry would get to see Severus for the first time since the start of term.

The mood turned blatantly mutinous and morose as they headed down to the dungeons, and Harry recalled Ron's displeasure of Severus from the feast, wondering if the whole class felt the same.

"Is potions really that bad?" He asked Hermione, who seemed fairer then most students in the school.

"Well it's a very fascinating subject, and Professor Snape really knows a lot, its just that…well," She glanced across at him with a slight blush, as if embarrassed to be bad mouthing a teacher, "he doesn't really seem to like teaching, or at least teaching _us_, he's alright with the Slytherins."

Harry blinked. Snape didn't seem like that sort of person to him, but then, how long had he really known him?

Unfortunately, it wasn't long into the potions lesson before Harry begun to understand exactly what his fellow Gryffindors meant.

Severus seemed to prowl between students, praising the Slytherins whilst berating the Gryffindors. He even managed to sneer at Hermione's potion when he couldn't find a fault. What was worse, was that Severus seemed entirely indifferent to Harry.

"Did you not read the instructions Mr. Smith?" Severus asked coldly as he gazed down at Harry's potion.

"I read them." He replied, bemused at the cold tone used, as well as Severus' evident displeasure of Harry's work. He wasn't putting on an act either, Severus' magic rang with something almost akin to disgust as he looked at the bubbling potion.

"Then, pray tell, _why_ is you potion black when the instructions clearly state that the addition of the wormwood infusion should have coloured it purple by now?"

Harry glanced at the board, through the smoke he squinted to see the list of instructions written neatly in a small cursive script. He could just make out the instruction that he had missed in the list. When he glanced back at his potion, it was gone.

Harry looked up in irritation to see Severus lowering his wand.

"Because of your inaptitude to read you no long have the time required to finish this potion, and it is therefore a waste of ingredients to let you continue to make a mess. I suggest that you try to pay attention in my class Smith, otherwise I shall have you removed from it."

Harry stared open mouthed at Severus in incredulity. The suddenly cold black eyes seemed to be daring him to say something.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for wasting time and ingredients."

"Wha? But that's not-"

"Hold your tongue Smith before I make it twenty." Severus hissed before walking away to praise a troll-like boy named Goyle's barely purple potion.

Harry stared for a few seconds before angrily tidying his ingredients and sitting down to wait out the remaining twenty minutes of the lesson in unproductiveness.

Hermione cast him only a brief glance before turning away, a flush staining her cheeks at embarrassment for not helping in some way. Looking around the room, Ron cast him a sympathetic look, struggling through the last stages of his potion.

He couldn't understand it. Severus was never particularly enthusiastic or relaxed, but he was never outright cold and harsh, at least not to him. After all, Harry had known the edge of his magic since before he could remember, a somewhat comforting imprint in his mind through the dark place. Why was he now being so dispassionate.

Harry could feel his magic flaring angrily around him, seeing the green that no one else could making the cauldrons boil more ferociously.

One particularly repulsive Slytherin girl squealed in pain as some boiling water bubbled up, splattering her hand. In fact, the vast majority of the class seemed to be gaining similar slight injuries, especially the Slytherins.

Harry found he didn't care, let them get burnt, they'd probably do well to learn some pain, he'd had enough of it himself after all.

Severus was looking around in suspicious confusion, the class descending into slight chaos around him. His eyes finally lit upon Harry, who met his warning glare with stony defiance. 'Make me stop then' he thought savagely.

As if the potions master could hear him his gaze flickered away angrily, and his dark coloured magic shifted around him in an almost panicked way.

For some reason he couldn't explain, Harry felt as though the dark haired man had betrayed him in some way. Had he not been inside his head for all those long years in the darkness? A lone comforting presence that occasionally buffeted Harry's thoughts away from the green green lights and the endless screaming.

Was he now suddenly bored of Harry's presence? Annoyed by is inability to read and perform magic as well as his classmates? He wasn't sure if he was becoming more in tune with his more normal and mundane, _human_ emotions after even spending this short time with others his own age, the ancient powers of air and earth that he had absorbed constantly seemed to be _healing_ his mind from those dark and damaged years, but he was sure he hadn't felt this much emotion since he could remember.

The cauldrons reached whole new levels of spurting water and billowing steam, Severus was now performing the same charm on each of the class' potions that he had used on Harry's, shouting at the other students to back away. Harry noted the fear and anger in his voice with some sort of bitter satisfaction. His heart seemed to be clenched by some cold tight fist, and his eyes prickled absurdly with ridiculous thoughts of how Severus had never liked him, had been toying with him.

"_Get to your next class_" Severus hissed at the burnt and fearful students, and they swiftly scattered, Harry jumped up to follow them, eager to be out of the still steamy classroom.

"Mr. Smith, you will stay behind." Harry stopped just short of the door at Severus' order, glaring at the floor. Hermione shot him a confused and slightly anxious glance, mirrored by the majority of the other Gryffindors, the Slytherin's faces were mocking.

Once the class was well out of earshot, Severus cleared his throat pointedly, and Harry reluctantly turned on the spot.

"Would you care to explain to me what exactly caused you to have a little magical temper tantrum back there?" The anger was still very apparent in his voice.

"No." Harry turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"Don't take that tone with me, what happened, did you sense something?"

Harry turned around in appalled astonishment, was he really so blind to his effect on students?

"If you don't know, I'm not telling." Harry had spoken he words before he was aware of it, and vaguely recalled having heard a Hufflepuff girl saying the same thing to someone at lunch. Maybe he was learning by repetition. Severus however, looked a mixture of stunned and furious.

"_Excuse me_?" He near whispered.

"Figure it out!" Harry snapped back, and attempted to tug his arm from Snape's vice-like grip.

"_What_ has gotten into you child! I will _not_ be talked to like this!" Severus pulled Harry a little closer as he once again fought to leave the room.

Harry suddenly felt trapped, he couldn't understand why Severus suddenly hated him, why he had turned into such a horrible person, but all at once the walls seemed to be closing in, the air turning black and Severus' grip was cold and clammy on his arm, his breath rasping as he sucked any happy memories of the two of them from Harry.

"Harry?" The near whisper barely translated across Harry's blurred and far away caged mind.

He glanced up into what had previously been comfortably dark eyes, but saw instead a hooded, shadowed face. And he was in the dark place, and the small cell was both claustrophobic and frighteningly alone, and those horrible hooded creatures had him in their grasps once more…

"Let me _go_!" Harry cried, there was a surge of air and Severus was suddenly flung across the room, lying sprawled in a heap.

Harry ran. Severus was already clambering to his feet looking disgruntled, and he didn't want to wait around to be shouted at for loosing control.

::1234567::

Harry spent the rest of the day hiding with the kittens in the many windowed room. He should have been in charms class, but he couldn't face it.

The kittens gambolled around, as if they didn't have a care in the world, Harry watched them from where he sat curled up in the corner, a small black cat.

Somehow when he was in his cat form, the hollow feeling he had been experiencing diminished slightly.

He had overreacted, but the sudden blur of memories and flashbacks he had felt left him feeling dazed.

Harry turned his eyes from the playing kittens to watch his own tail twitch seemingly of its own will. Since his mind had started healing the dulled emotional state and blurred memories that he had adapted in the dark place, they had begun sharpening and sensitising.

Harry found this both a gift and a curse. On the one side he could talk, think and generally live with more clarity, as though he was recovering from a long-standing illness. On the other, he couldn't predict how he or his magic would react to something, and he seemed to react to everything. This hypersensitivity was surely showing some problem, his other classmates seemed to be able to cope ok with the day-to-day goings on.

Harry twitched his tail, staring at a tile in the floor. He shouldn't be here. He would never be able to fit in at a school, he was too different, the other students already knew that, that was why they shunned him. Most of them, the few who didn't, Hermione for example, was fairly outcast herself and was therefore merely clinging to someone similar.

He should be searching or the other powers, he _needed_ to be searching for them. The warnings from the centaurs, the thestrals, every sense he had was telling him to go looking for he remaining elements, to be doing something useful.

He was trying desperately to not think of his encounter with Severus, somehow he couldn't bare this place if the potions master no longer cared for him.

He'd just have to go and tell Albus that he wanted to leave, then this whole mess would be over, and he could get started on what he was meant to do.

The thin black cat stretched decisively and clambered to his feet, just as he turned to the door to leave, it opened.

::1234567::

Snape had spent the rest of the day in a mixture of worry and fury, his last class of the day shrunk before his rage and not even the couple of Slytherins in his sixth year class were safe.

All he could think about was the terrified, haunted eyes as Harry looked at him, before throwing him away with a gust of wind and running as if Voldermort and all the death eaters under his control were after him. It was as if he had thought Severus was going to hurt him, he had looked like a caged animal.

He could not understand _what_ had gotten into the boy. Evidently it would be a shock for the child to witness him in his normal role as teacher, and even Severus had to admit he was hated among the students for good reason.

But the boy _had_ messed up a perfectly, in Snape's mind, simple potion. And there really had been no time to rectify the mistake. He just couldn't stand it when students wasted perfectly good ingredients with their pathetic attempt at potion making. Very few managed to really grasp the beauty of the art of potion making, instead mocking it and blemishing it with their ineptitude and irresponsibility.

Severus sighed and pinched his nose as the last remainders of the class fled the dungeon. He would have to speak to Dumbledore about the child's outburst. It was a miracle that he hadn't destroyed half the cauldrons the way he was reacting.

Thinking back to the simple minded and strangely worded Harry that he had first met, he realised that the child was healing fast, but was becoming more sensitive therefore.

The sorry little creature probably had no idea or concept of everyday emotions, and with him being so in tune with his magic, every little thing was likely to spike him off. At least until he got used to it.

Severus sighed, once again pinching his nose. He would have to talk to the boy, maybe he could level him slightly, help him, there was probably an emotion stabilising potion he could brew.

But first he would have to talk to Dumbledore, if Harry's reaction was anything to go by, they had a young, emotionally unstable teen to calm down.

::1234567::

"I don't think he's coping well, he nearly blew up half the cauldrons this afternoon and then reused to tell me why, he threw me half way across the classroom trying to get away from me. I swear I've never seen anyone look that frightened…" Severus trailed off, remembering the pinprick pupils in those emerald eyes.

"It was as if he was somewhere else." Albus looked thoughtful.

"Did you perform legilimens on him at that time?" He asked, peering out of the window as the sunset stained the grounds the colour of fire.

"No, It was too sudden and I was worried of scaring him further, it wouldn't have taking much." Albus coughed grimly in agreement, before finally turning away from the window.

"It may be that Harry is only now remembering the horrors he faced inside that vile prison. Now that his mind is finally healing, it may be that his muted memories are coming back to him also. He must be extremely disorientated with this, even if he doesn't quite understand."

Severus nodded, it was only after he had changed sides that he had felt the true horrors of what he had done and witnessed, once again he was struck by that strange protective surge towards Harry.

"We should take extra care to monitor him and be available if he wishes to talk, no child should have had to go through what he did, and it's quite possible that being partially feline had numbed his mind further against this pain."

"Still, the way he was acting, I believe it would be best if you talked to him."

"And why would you be unable to do so yourself?" The old man's gaze pierced him, and he found himself unable to efficiently justify his lingering feeling of inadequacy.

"The way he looked at me then, I don't think he'll want to see me immediately." Albus' eyes were far too understanding, and he abruptly stood to leave, muttering about restocking the store cupboard.

::1234567::

Harry stared up into the bright blue eyes of the headmaster, and suddenly felt quite unsure about everything.

Dumbledore eyes him with a certain sorrow that he found hard to place, and he watched as the aged wizard moved to sit amongst the kittens, who found his beard highly entertaining.

"What seems to be troubling you, Harry?" He questioned benignly, and Harry felt himself almost shrink with uncertain emotions. He found he wanted to open up to the older man, but without really knowing why, or what about.

A saddened meow escaped him, and for a moment a flicker of amusement passed through Dumbledore's eyes.

"This conversation may pass easier Harry, if you reverted to your human form."

Slightly abashed, Harry complied, and soon sat a little way apart from Dumbledore, looking at the floor.

A little cough prompted him to speak.

"I, I want to leave, I want to look for the other elements." He glanced up to see Dumbledore's understanding face.

"I understand that this must be hard for you Harry, what with your calling to unite the ancient powers so strong, and having to deal with a whole new world of experiences."

Harry looked up hopefully, sure that Dumbledore was about to grant him leave from education.

"However, it is also my belief, that the longer you put off this learning experience, and coming to terms with you new found emotions, powers and memories, the harder it will become to adjust to them. Besides, where would you go to look for these powers?"

Harry looked away again, a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment swimming through him.

"But I, I don't belong here." His voice was so small that he was surprised Dumbledore could hear him at all.

The old man sighed, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I urge you to continue trying. There is no doubt that you face a greater burden then most here, but this is also the best place for you to learn how to adapt to your powers, and also to learn how to be around others your own age-" Harry snorted slightly at this, and Dumbledore smiled once again, removing his hand.

"Give them time Harry, they will come round in the end. And give yourself time too." Harry looked up in confusion, the setting sun illuminated Dumbledore, and although Harry could see the large cloud of his magical aura, he could not discern its exact colour.

"You will find it easier to be around other people as your mind heals further, and you spend more time with them. And hopefully, you will also find it easier to cope with the memories that you have managed to suppress throughout these past years."

"How did you know about them? _I_ barely understand half of it, its just all dark…and lights." Harry shivered slightly, Dumbledore shot him a calculating look. "I don't _want_ o remember what happened there, or before there, or anything." He twisted the hem of his sleeve absently as he shifted under Albus' ex-ray eyes.

"Yes, memories can be painful, but they also help shape us into who we will become, they can make you stronger, and you can make new and pleasant memories whenever you want, as long as you are willing to."

Harry blinked thoughtfully, still struggling with an inner sensation of futility at staying in this school.

Dumbledore abruptly stood and headed for the door, before turning back to look at him.

"Before you give up on all of us here, if that is indeed what you decide, for I shall not stop you from leaving if you feel you must. But I would beg of you to speak to Professor Snape before you go, for you quite scared him this afternoon, and I would hope you would not leave before reconciling with him at least."

Harry blushed slightly, partially shocked that Severus had had a reaction to his outburst at all.

"After all, it would be a shame if you decided to leave partly because of the unfortunately often harsh words that pass between friends."

With a wink and a last smile, Dumbledore left the room. Harry was left with a slight feeling of shame, and also of being understood by Dumbledore on a level he hadn't considered possible. Indeed one of the reasons he did wish to leave was because of Severus' treatment of him earlier. But he would not let the older wizard down.

If he was being granted permission to act on his own beliefs, then he should at least honour the man's wishes. He would talk to Severus.

Harry couldn't help the sudden pang of hopefulness that the potions master did, in fact, care about him.

::Woo fifteen pages! I think that's a record for this story :D! I also think I finally know where I'm going with this! At least for the next while hehe. Sorry that there was no more Draco, but he should appear next chapter, hopefully!

Now I also have a small vote for you! What would you like to see next chapter?

Harry freaks out during a class (worse then this time in potions)

Harry has nightmares and either gets caught having one or seeks help for it

Some sort of accident occurs

Which would you guys like? And is there anyone you'd like to see next chapter? See more of in the story?

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews as well! I'm going to try and be better about replying to them too hehe! (sorry for the length of this note!)

Thanks for reading, shadowtheo.


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